What is a refuge?

What is a refuge?

A refuge is a safe house which offers temporary accommodation for victims of abuse and their children. There are over 500 refuges in the UK, mostly for women, providing a place of safety for any woman who needs to escape violence, married or single, with or without children.

Some refuges are specifically for certain groups of women, e.g. women from particular ethnic or cultural backgrounds - for example Black, Asian or South American women.

Refuges provide a breathing space where decisions can be made free from pressure and fear. Women can stay as long as they want - this can be anything from a few days to several months. The refuge will help if you need to find a more permanent place to stay. If you need to you can stay in the refuge until you’re permanently re-housed.

All refuge addresses and most telephone numbers are confidential, so that it’s difficult for the abuser to find a woman who has left home.

For further information about refuges, click here.

The Women’s Aid website also contains a “virtual refuge” so you can get an idea of what life in a refuge is like. To visit the "virtual refuge", click here.

How can I access a refuge?

The main providers of refuge spaces in Warwickshire are:

Warwickshire Domestic Violence Support Services, and;

Ashram (refuge for Black, Minority Ethnic and Refugee Women and Children)

If you are looking for immediate access to a refuge today - you may want to call the National Domestic Violence helpline on (24hr freephone) 0808 2000 247 (The National Domestic Violence Helpline is run in partnership between Women’s Aid & Refuge). The helpline will have access to immediate and up to date information on beds in refuges in and around your area, or anywhere in the UK.