Almost one in three women living on the streets cites domestic abuse as one of the reasons.
During lockdown 1.0, the media reported a rise in domestic abuse. An increase Oasis Community Housing’s Empower Team has been seeing too.
Throughout this year, our ‘Empower’ team has been continuing to provide the vital support that the dozens of women, men and children who we work with every year need to escape unsafe, harmful relationships.
Delivering more than simply advice and counselling, the team works round-the-clock to create a safe and stable and environment that can be called home – with 3 out of 4 of the people who we support saying our services alone have made them feel safer.
People like Izzie*.
Izzie’s story
“It was my son who said he was scared. He came back from a day with his Dad and refused to get out of the car.
“We got the police involved and did a Claire’s Law on my partner at the time [a Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme] and there was just too much, it was 7 or 8 pages long.
“I didn’t confront him at first and it was scary, just the thought of him being in the house with us. I got real anxiety around it. A few days later we had an argument and he just walked out. Left, just like that. I wonder if he suspected that I knew.”
“I got referred from the domestic abuse team to Oasis Community Housing and that’s when Jules called me. Straight away she helped.
Seeking safety
“I just had to get get away, out of the area, for the kids’ safety. I took a house – it was all a bit rushed – and when I walked through the door there was mould everywhere. Holes everywhere. Broken glass in the back garden. I was trying not to cry in front of the kids, but the only room we could really live in was the front room. Obviously, we didn’t have nowhere else to go at the time. It was so bad I got classified as homeless.
“I called Jules and she was on the case straight away. Within a couple of weeks, Jules had us out and into supported accommodation.
“Jules just helped me through everything and anything. Even after I didn’t need her, she was always there.”
Watch Izzie share her story in our Giving a Home video >
*names have been changed