Spires runs essential services for homeless and disadvantaged men and women from a day centre base, and clients include many women who are involved in sex work and other additional and related activities (i.e. shop lifting, drug/alcohol issues) locally.

Amanda said, 'We aim to support these and other women in a variety of ways. They are able to make use of our basic services and then housing advice, tenancy support, mental health and drug and alcohol support, adult learning and volunteering opportunities.

She explained 'Some women come to us looking for help to start reducing or changing their drug and or alcohol use, as a first step towards a more meaningful life. Many women are not ready to make changes to their lives, but do need a place of safety and specialist staff to offer them support.'

Clients of the centre have complex problems to deal with. Many of the women are fleeing domestic violence. Some have been abused as children, then abused again when taken into care. There are case of some having been introduced to prostitution by their mothers. Many of them have mental health problems and learning disabilities.

There are also problems with ASBOs - some women have an exclusion order banning them from working in Lambeth but as they live there, one woman got arrested on the way to the doctors, and consequently got a 6 month prison sentence.

The relationship with the local police is good and it's clear that Spires Streetlink are doing a fantastic job.

However, as Amanda explained, 'women sex workers are sometimes caught in a vicious circle. They are arrested regularly, then get fined, and as they can't pay, they get short prison sentences - the average length is 30 days'.

Short prison sentences means that the women can lose housing and other vital support services - and this only disrupts the constructive work the centre is attempting to do.