First women's only mental health crisis house opens in Wiltshire
It's been set up by Alabaré and Missing Link
Last updated 18th Jun 2026
A new mental health crisis house has been created in Wiltshire to support women facing challenges with their mental health.
It's been created by Salisbury-based charity Alabaré and Missing Link, who are working with the Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust (AWP).
Oriana House in Swindon is the first of it's kind for the county, and will offer sanctuary for women, as well as a space for recovery alternative to being admitted to hospital.
It will offer short-term stays to women, usually seven to 10 days, before guests return home, providing non-clinical support, helping guests find their own coping mechanisms and plan for longer-term recovery towards positive mental health.
Helen Brian, Head of Mental Health Services at ALABARÉ, said: “ALABARÉ’s women’s only house in Swindon will be hugely beneficial to the care that’s offered to people facing a mental health crisis.
“It’s important to us that the service is accessible, trauma-informed and person-centred, as everyone’s journey through mental health concerns is unique. We’ve worked closely with previous guests to ensure the house is as comfortable as possible, while providing the best support.”
Missing Link CEO, Sarah O'Leary, says having a service exclusively for women is vital.
"We know that mental health is not always, but often intertwined with experiences of trauma, male violence for example, abuse, and for many women it just isn't an appropriate environment to go into a mixed gender or mixed sex house because of their experiences.
"Also, many women that we work with as well have hormonal related illnesses like menopause, for example, or gynaecological issues where it just wouldn't feel comfortable really talking about their life experiences," she said.
The house has been created with input from women with lived experiences.
Sam Hanks spent time at Alabaré's Hope House and said a welcoming environment is vital.
She said: "It is so important that when you walk through that door, that you feel like you're entering a supported, comfortable, welcoming space that is giving you the room to be who you need to be in that moment.
"When I went to Hope House from the hospital, just walking into a room that felt like a bedroom because it had a duvet and it had a pillow and it had a chair in the corner and a lamp I could turn on and off is so different to a hospital environment that immediately you do let a bit of that guard down and you do allow yourself some breathing space."
Mathew Page, Deputy Chief Executive at AWP, said: “We’re really proud to have led the development of the new women’s crisis house, working closely with our voluntary sector partners ALABARÉ and Missing Link. This new space will give women in crisis a safe and supportive place at a very difficult time, helping many to avoid a hospital admission.
“It will make a real difference to women, their families and carers, while also providing a more compassionate and effective use of health and social care resources.”