A New Home for ‘Hope’: Whitechapel’s Proposed Women’s Refuge and Community Theatre Part 1 Project 2021 Gabriela MacAllister University of Westminster | UK This project attempts to address the sociopolitical issues affecting Whitechapel’s community today. It provides a refuge and theatre for the community, where multiculturalism and history are celebrated.A New Home for Hope is a place for the local community to experience and participate in contemporary and traditional dance forms, making arts and education accessible to an otherwise neglected community. Secreted and veiled within is a safe-house for women and children, tailored to their specific needs and supported by the dance company ‘Art is in Motion’, who work with victims of trauma.Tower Hamlets cuts hope for survivorsBetween 2014 and 2015, 2773 domestic crimes were filed in Tower Hamlets, 97% reported by women. Whitechapel’s survivors of abuse were left without a critical resource after the ‘Hopetown Women’s Hostel’ was relocated to the Isle of Dogs.The City is encroaching on the East EndAs Whitechapel’s masterplan progresses and the financial district marches eastwards, the local area israpidly being gentrified. Whitechapel, as a historic gateway to the city, is an area with a rich cultural and social history, which is being eroded as the local community is ignored and neglected in favour of growth-oriented ‘regeneration’. Tutor(s) Jane Tankard