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Across the nation, thousands of women every year desperate to move to a safe refuge are turned away due to a chronic lack of spaces.
This is why The Independent has joined forces with leading domestic abuse charity Refuge to raise £300,000 to build a haven for women escaping their abusive partners.
A place where they can find safety and freedom to rebuild their lives – brick by brick.
In this year alone, the charity’s abuse helpline has been contacted 49,787 times, with 75 per cent of calls coming from survivors of domestic abuse. Every two minutes, someone turns to Refuge for support.
Be a brick, buy a brick and donate here or text BRICK to 70560 to donate £15
So what is the £300,000 for and what will your generous donations go towards?
The project is ground-breaking because this is first time a house has been built from scratch directly to accommodate survivors of domestic abuse, one family at a time. They will stay there for six months, with full support from Refuge, to get their lives back on track.
What will the house look like?
The spacious property will be semi-detached with an open-plan kitchen, dining room, living room and a private garden. It will have two double-sized bedrooms, a downstairs bathroom and abundant storage space.
Although the home will not have a garage, it will have a private driveway with off-road parking. It will look the same as all the surrounding homes to ensure victims do not feel isolated from the outside world.
Every last detail has been carefully thought through, with the walls painted in a “psychologically informed colour palette”. Refuge has picked the fixtures and fittings, opting for calming, soothing colours for the kitchen and bathroom.
Transport links and amenities will be close by to enable the survivor and her children to rebuild their lives free from abuse as smoothly as possible. The home will have solar panels and will be 30 per cent more energy efficient than older properties.
The house, which will be the first company Persimmon Homes has ever built for domestic abuse survivors, will also contain toys for children who may have been forced to flee suddenly and are without their usual possessions.
How will the house stay safe?
The house will be built with the latest stringent security measures including a fire-proof letter box, CCTV, and enhanced locking features on windows and doors.
It will be flagged to the local police to ensure officers can travel there rapidly in the rare instance a woman’s abuser discovers where she is living.
Refuge operates many safe houses across the UK for women and children escaping domestic abuse. The addresses of these are confidential.
The homes are much more than a roof over a woman or child’s head – they are where the charity’s specialist staff provide residents with the building blocks they need to begin a new life, free from fear.
A £15 donation from our readers can lay a brick to start building the house.
Refuge and The Independent are working closely with housing firm Persimmon to discuss plans for building the home with the money raised.
Who can go to a refuge and what can they help with?
Any woman experiencing domestic abuse who needs a place of safety for herself can go to a refuge, with or without children.
Refuge staff are on hand to support each resident with her individual needs. This might include providing legal advice, supporting women with safety planning, budgeting, finding a safe new home, discussing debt and welfare benefits, accessing health services, and finding nurseries and schools.
Dedicated, hard-working staff will also be able to help with local community and cultural services, as well as civil and criminal remedies, training, education and employment.
Importantly, refuge staff will provide women with emotional support. They will not judge or tell a woman what to do. Staff give women time and space to make their own decisions.
Women stay in refuges for as long as they need. Some women stay for a few days, but others stay for months while they wait for accommodation in a new community.
Often women arrive at the refuges with very few possessions or nothing at all. Refuge provides women with basic supplies such as food, nappies and toiletries. Its staff help women secure welfare benefits so they can live independently.
Our readers’ generous donations will help pay for these services.
Please donate now to the Brick by Brick campaign, launched by The Independent and charity Refuge, to help raise £300,000 to build a safe space for women where they can escape domestic abuse, rebuild their lives and make new futures.