Homelessness and Emergency Housing

Signs of abuse may include:

• Destructive criticism and verbal abuse: shouting/mocking/accusing/name calling/verbally threatening
• Pressure tactics: sulking, threatening to withhold money, disconnect the telephone, take the car away, commit suicide, take the children away, report you to welfare agencies unless you comply with his demands regarding bringing up the children, lying to your friends and family about you, telling you that you have no choice in any decisions.
• Disrespect: persistently putting you down in front of other people, not listening or responding when you talk, interrupting your telephone calls, taking money from your purse without asking, refusing to help with childcare or housework.
• Breaking trust: lying to you, withholding information from you, being jealous, having other relationships, breaking promises and shared agreements.
• Isolation: monitoring or blocking your telephone calls, telling you where you can and cannot go, preventing you from seeing friends and relatives.
• Harassment: following you, checking up on you, opening your mail, repeatedly checking to see who has telephoned you, embarrassing you in public.
• Threats: making angry gestures, using physical size to intimidate, shouting you down, destroying your possessions, breaking things, punching walls, wielding a knife or a gun, threatening to kill or harm you and the children.
• Sexual violence: using force, threats or intimidation to make you perform sexual acts, having sex with you when you don’t want to have sex, any degrading treatment based on your sexual orientation.
• Physical violence: punching, slapping, hitting, biting, pinching, kicking, pulling hair out, pushing, shoving, burning, strangling.
• Denial: saying the abuse (Information sourced from HARV website)

You may be thinking about leaving a partner or are having a problem with an ex- partner. You can come and speak to us about housing options and we will complete a referral to HARV (with your consent) who work in this area to help victims of domestic abuse.

HARV can work with you to identify whether a refuge is required or what safety measures can be put in place to help you stay in your own home if that is an option. We would need to assess your situation if you are threatened with homelessness or do become homeless due to domestic abuse.

If you want to contact HARV directly their no is (01254) 879855

National Domestic Violence Line (24hr) 0808 200 0247

National LGBT Domestic Abuse Line 0800 999 5428