Domestic violence and housing
Refuges
In a crisis you can go to a refuge where you can stay as long as you need to. Refuges are often a good place to stay while you decide what to do next. They can give you a breathing space and time to think so you don’t have to rush into decisions about what to do about your situation.
You can contact refuges yourself or through Women’s Aid, Broxtowe Women’s Project or the local authority. Nottingham Women’s Aid Advice Centre has details of availability of spaces in Nottinghamshire and the surrounding area. If you are on benefits you can get Housing Benefit to pay for the refuge. If you are working you will usually have to pay for the refuge yourself.
Refuges specify who they will accept. Some only have facilities for women with children and they may specify how many children they can accept. Some may not take in teenage boys due to the effects this might have on other residents. Refuges also have different rules about whether they will take in women with drug, alcohol or mental health problems. There are specialist refuges for particular groups of women e.g. black and Asian women and women with learning difficulties.
For more information follow this Women's
Aid Website link.
Local Authority
You can go to Broxtowe Borough Council and will be given an appointment the same day if you need emergency accommodation. The local authority has to house you immediately if you are unintentionally homeless and in priority need (elderly, pregnant, with children or other dependants, with a mental health problem or disability, or homeless due to fire or flood). You will be classed as unintentionally homeless if you have experienced or been threatened with domestic violence to you or your dependants. You will be offered emergency interim accommodation in a hostel, refuge or B&B depending on what is appropriate and available. This accommodation will be used to accommodate you while further enquiries will be made into your case.
The council will have to investigate that you haven't made yourself homeless by your own actions. The council aims to complete all investigations within 33 days. The council may say that you are intentionally homeless if it feels that you have become homeless because of your own unreasonable actions. If you are homeless and in priority need, but are intentionally homeless, they have no duty to continue to house you in any form of accommodation.
If the council consider you homeless, in priority need and not intentionally homeless, they have a duty to secure temporary accommodation for you until a settled home can be found.
The council will make you one reasonable offer of accommodation suitable to your families needs and this could be a flat or a house and could be anywhere within the Borough.
The local authority can provide reduced cost security systems and low cost personal alarms. The Police can provide women with a personal attack alarm which can be used across a door chain. Victim Support can sometimes provide free personal alarms.
If you are sharing a joint council tenancy with your abusive partner you can terminate the tenancy without his agreement. It is important not to give up a tenancy until you are officially unintentionally homeless.
Other Housing Options
Privately rented accommodation
Sanctuary Scheme - this South Notts service has been suspended temporarily due to funding constraints - please contact your local housing office for details.
For information on pet fostering and other animal welfare services, please see our links page.
Further information about housing at the Broxtowe Borough Council website.
Housing Associations
Alternative accommodation can be found through housing associations in non-crisis situations. Please download the Housing Association page produced by Broxtowe Borough Council
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