It is particularly difficult to raise funds for charitiStreet Talk was set up six years ago to take mental health care onto the streets, to women trapped in street prostitution. It supports women who are living with crack addiction, poverty, homelessness, extreme domestic violence, as well as chronic ill health - in most cases without even the most basic care. It is almost always a mental health problem, of some sort, which makes women vulnerable to this kind of prostitution. Their aim is to give women the best chance of getting out of exploitative prostitution and living with dignity, by addressing their mental health needs.

It has been very challenging to establish Street Talk. The two main obstacles have been lack of public awareness of the extremes of social exclusion and deprivation experienced by street workers and the difficulty of raising funds in this context. Street Talk is not only a charity which works solely with women and mental health issues but also has to deal with prejudice against women in the sex industry, as well as the misconception that women have chosen this life style.

Two and a half years ago they discovered the Capital Community Foundation who have provided not only funding through access to grants but also practical knowledge and training in financial planning, fundraising and networking, as well as supporting the strategic development of the charity.

Their success speaks for itself: in just two and a half years Street Talk has moved from reaching about 50 women in street sex work to assisting over 150.