Safe house furniture for domestic abuse victims

Aim

To buy furniture for our new safe house creating a nurturing home for vulnerable women and children fleeing domestic abuse.

Here at HARV Housing we believe we all have the right to feel safe in our homes, we work with victims and survivors domestic abuse. We provide safe, quality, emergency accommodation to women and children fleeing domestic abuse. 

• Nationally we know over two million adults are victims of domestic abuse each year, with women twice as likely to be victims.
• The number of refuge bed spaces in England is now 30% (1,715 bed spaces)below the number recommended by the Council of Europe. 64% of refuge referrals were declined last year.
• The money we raise through crowdfunding  will enable us to increase our emergency accommodation offer to another 4 women and  8 children, we will buy good quality furniture for our new safe house. 
• We want the spaces we create to be safe, nurturing and aspirational, many of the women and children we support have left their abuser and are literally starting from nothing, the impact of having a warm, clean cosy room with all the things they need to begin their new lives is unimaginable.     

Some of the things women staying at the safe house have said: 

“I feel very safe here, everything is ok here, I have everything I need, I am happy with everything. In the house I feel safe and comfortable, it feels like it’s my home, a good home, not the last home I knew which wasn’t safe and good. A good home where I enjoy a happy life. I have so much peace of mind here.”

Another woman said that 'in the safe house kids were allowed to be kids again, to play, lough loud and they were allowed toys and they could keep them in a bedroom without fear of being destroyed.'

Some of the things children  said that have stayed in the house:

"I missed my friends and it was strange being somewhere new, I felt angry but HARV helped me to understand my feelings and to feel better again."

"I was always scared in my old house, frightened of what would happen when my dad came home , living in the safe house we can be a normal family" 

"It was  nice to see mum laughing again."

HARV Housing provide intensive support to women and children whilst they are living in the house and beyond. 

Helping families come to terms with the trauma they have been through so they can begin to reimagine their new lives, we support women and children to rebuild and recover.

• We provide direct support to women and families that are housed with us which includes, emotional wellbeing, counselling, financial advice and support, immigration support, advocacy for family court, access to legal advice, housing support and advice, move on development, group work and one to one case work, trauma specific workshops. 
•  We also run an ESF funded support programme providing a tailored package for women to help them back into work and or training.

This project successfully funded on 1st September 2020