In Tower Hamlets between 250 and 300 women are actively selling sex on the streets. National estimates and local knowledge indicates that around 95% misuse substances – in particular crack and *****. A large number will have first become involved in this lifestyle as sexually exploited minors, with a significant number having backgrounds in care. Both in Tower Hamlets and across the UK there are limited dedicated support services, few accommodation options and enormous, if not insurmountable, barriers to these women accessing mainstream services around health, drugs, housing and advice. Safe Exit works to fill this gap through: •The Diversion Scheme - a practical supportive alternative to the criminal justice system for women arrested for soliciting or loitering for the purposes of prostitution in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The scheme aims to divert women involved in prostitution away from the Criminal Justice System by providing them with a more supportive route into key services which can meet their needs, and often underlie their involvement in prostitution. •The development of a kerb-crawling project to tackle the demand for prostitution in partnership with local organisations. •Conducting research to inform the development of a best practice guide to housing for women in prostitution. The work of Safe Exit is gathering momentum and shows huge potential as a facility to strengthen the sector and pilot and develop new initiatives to reduce prostitution, support women in prostitution and prevent vulnerable women from entering prostitution. Despite the impact of Safe Exit’s work and it’s reputation as a ground breaking initiative, our greatest challenge is to secure funding in support of the core activities and costs of Safe Exit. This frequently presents a challenge due to the sensitive nature of our work and the taboos surrounding this contentious area of need.