This International Women’s Day, our Women in Safe Homes Fund – that provides safe accommodation for women facing homelessness and escaping domestic abuse - is reflecting on this year’s theme, Give to Gain.

When we give women in need a safe place to live, we don’t just provide a roof over their heads - we give them safety, dignity, stability and the space to start their healing and recovery journeys. In return, we gain empowered women with futures free from abuse.

The Women in Safe Homes Fund – a joint venture with Patron Capital – uses social impact investment from socially minded investors to buy homes for women in need of a place to call home, and – having partnered with expert women’s sector and homelessness charities across the UK - ensures women have access to safe, suitable housing - often a lifeline for many.

For many women survivors, particularly those with additional needs, large families and teenage boys, traditional emergency-style refuge settings that provide essential immediate safety, are not always accessible or appropriate, which is why our fund has mostly focused on buying dispersed accommodation. Dispersed accommodation ensures a wider cohort of women can be provided with longer-term stability and tailored support, privacy and independence, enabling them to rebuild their lives at their own pace.

One of the fund's housing partners is the UK’s largest and specialist domestic abuse charity for women, Refuge. As part of a pilot scheme in Warwickshire, the fund has purchased 20 dispersed properties for Refuge and has so far housed over 90 women and their children.

Freya is one of Refuge’s tenants living in her new home, in the county. Her story shows exactly why safe, dispersed accommodation matters.

Freya’s Story

Women fleeing domestic abuse often face one of the toughest transitions of their lives: leaving not just a relationship, but a home.

That’s where dispersed accommodation - self-contained homes located in community settings - plays a critical role. Unlike traditional shared refuge spaces, dispersed housing enables women to:

• Rebuild their lives with privacy, without the stress of communal living
• Maintain continuity with local services, schools and work, potentially avoiding the disruption of relocating far from support networks
• Access tailored support where and when they need it, rather than on someone else’s schedule
• Grow confidence and independence in their own space, which is an important part of healing from trauma

For women with complex needs, this kind of housing isn’t just preferable; it can be transformative.

Freya came into Refuge’s accommodation after fleeing emotional and physical domestic abuse from her family members. Before entering this accommodation, she was sofa surfing when having to stay away from the abusive family home as she had nowhere else to turn.

When she first moved in, Freya was really surprised by how nice the accommodation was and how much of her own space she had and said, “I am so happy with the flat. It is really suitable for me, because of my autism and anxiety, I struggle to live with other people. This type of refuge accommodation is better because I can heal by myself, which I couldn’t do if I was sharing with others”.

Personalised Support

Freya has received consistent support from her Refuge Housing Support Worker, saying “It’s nice to have someone come into the property regularly to check things over and keep the property safe for me to live in.”.

She's also received weekly support from her Floating Support Worker, who has worked closely with Freya to deliver support to help her move to a new area and rebuild her life free from abuse, including:

• Registering with a new GP in the local area
• Accessing domestic abuse counselling
• Accessing a carers package through adult social care
• Registering as homeless to a council for her move on accommodation
• Support to safely plan when returning to areas where she may risk encountering her perpetrators
• A referal to occupational therapy and have specialist equipment installed to support Freya while living in the accommodation
• Placing bids to be allocated a council property
• Accessing food vouchers
• Securing benefits in her own name 
• Emotional support
• Support around understanding domestic abuse and Freya’s past experiences

Freya’s Support Worker has said that the main difference her new home has made to Freya’s life is that she’s been given the opportunity to heal at her own pace, helping her find herself again and feel secure. Her symptoms from PTSD have calmed down a lot and she’s changed a lot since she moved in to her new home.

Freya said, “I just feel safe here, because of the support you all give in keeping the property safe, the no visitor rules as well as other security measures that are in place. Literally everything is perfect and I am really happy with it all. Everyone is so supportive and even when I’m away from the accommodation, I still feel safe and supported.”

For the future, Freya wants to resettle in a permanent property closer to Refuge's accommodation and continue to live a life free from abuse.

Why dispersed accommodation matters

A member of the Refuge dispersed accommodation team explains: “The dispersed properties are a necessity for women who cannot access traditional refuge settings. Without the dispersed accommodation as an option, these women might not be able to flee abusive relationships or would have to reside in temporary hotel accommodations which often don't have any cooking or washing facilities to meet their basic needs. Supporting women that have mobility needs, older sons, children or women with neurodivergent needs and women with pets are just a few examples of where our dispersed accommodation is a lifeline for those that have nowhere else safe to turn to when fleeing domestic abuse, as they would not be able to access traditional refuge. Instead, our accommodation provides them with a suitable, safe environment for them to live in and the support to regain their independence. 

Without any immediate support network nearby, a brand-new area and lifestyle can feel incredibly overwhelming, but our regular ongoing support helps women to feel at ease in a new environment, helps them to gain a sense of community and safety and settle into an area they're unfamiliar with. This support enables the women in our accommodation to feel supported and empowered to rebuild their lives free from abuse.”

When women are given safety and support, they gain independence, confidence and hope. And when women thrive, we all gain.

About the Women in Safe Homes Fund

The fund has bought, refurbished and handed over 122 safe, decent homes to its housing partners, enabling around 700 women and children - who have experienced domestic abuse, the criminal justice system and homelessness - to access stability, specialist support and the foundation for autonomy, wellbeing and future opportunity.