Instant chat service to open 7 days a week
Since its start in 2014 the Broken Rainbow instant chat service has continued to increase in popularity with LGBT people experiencing abuse or violence in their relationships. On busy days this means eight hours of constant user support and Broken Rainbow today runs this service with 25 volunteers across the country. Because of its high demand the Broken Rainbow instant chat will extend its opening hours to weekends, meaning it will be open every day from 10am till 2pm from the 6th of June 2015.
The reasons for its popularity are many; partly it can offer greater anonymity to the user than phone support and partly it may give them more time to think before they express themselves.
Broken Rainbow Managing Director Jo Harvey Barringer explains why she thinks it has become such a popular tool for Broken Rainbow’s service users:
“Often the people that contact us are in situations where they cannot risk being heard over the phone. We’ve had victims/ survivors contacting us while locked in the bathroom with their abuser on the other side of the door – a situation in which if they were to call someone they may feel even more under threat.”
The new weekend opening hours will start on the first weekend of June. This means instant chat will be open every day from 2pm till 10pm from the 6th of June 2015.
You can find out more at http://www.brokenrainbow.org.uk or call 0800 999 5428