At our Women in Safe Homes fund AGM last month, held at Patron Capital’s London office, we were privileged to hear from Esther*, a member of Refuge’s Survivor Engagement Panel.

Whilst Esther is not a tenant of the Women in Safe Homes fund, her story powerfully illustrated why safe, secure housing – alongside specialist support – is life-changing for survivors of domestic abuse.

Speaking with courage and honesty, she reminded everyone in the room that behind every investment, property, and partnership there are real lives that can be transformed by safety and stability.

“You want to believe it’s a one-off”

Esther described how abuse can begin with isolation and control. During the pandemic, she had been “love-bombed” and persuaded to move far away from her support network at a time when she was already vulnerable.

Just two days after relocating, she was violently assaulted in her sleep by her then partner.

Like many survivors, she did not report it immediately.

“You want to believe it’s a one-off,” she explained. “You want to believe it won’t happen again.”

Instead, the abuse escalated. Police were called to the property several times, but Esther felt unable to speak openly while her perpetrator remained in the room. Eventually, after a particularly serious assault that left her hospitalised, he was arrested.

From refuge to rough sleeping

Esther was placed in a hostel for her safety, but it was located only a few hundred metres from where her abuser lived. When he was released on bail – something she was not informed about – he found and attacked her again.

Despite a successful court case, Esther then found herself homeless.

With services limited during the pandemic, she spent months sleeping rough in London, queuing daily at her local authority’s offices with a letter confirming she had experienced domestic abuse.

She was able to speak candidly to the local authority about the realities of rough sleeping as a woman: living minute-to-minute in survival mode, experiencing further violence and sexual assault, and turning to alcohol to cope.

Multiple support services were trying to help, but access was difficult during lockdown. It took a serious physical attack by another perpetrator before agencies were able to coordinate a rapid response.

“New Year’s Day was when my life started again”

Just before the end of 2020, Esther was offered a place in one of Refuge’s specialist domestic abuse refuges.

Arriving on New Year’s Eve, she described the overwhelming feeling of safety:

“It was a massive sigh of relief… knowing I didn’t have to fight anymore.”

For the first time in years, Esther had a secure room, professional support, and space to recover. She received counselling, attended workshops, and began rebuilding her independence – from managing her finances to rediscovering her identity.

She has not had a drink since the day she entered the refuge.

Today, Esther lives in her own one-bedroom flat and works part-time.

“To me, that is everything,” she said. “The sense of security and safety I have now – I’ll never take it for granted.”

She is clear that without safe accommodation and specialist support, she believes she would not be alive.

Why her story matters to Women in Safe Homes fund

Esther’s experience is not unique. It reflects the complex, often dangerous pathways many survivors face when trying to leave domestic abuse situations – particularly the risk of homelessness and further harm.

Her story reinforced several core principles that sit at the heart of the Women in Safe Homes fund:

• accommodation must be genuinely secure, meet women’s needs and be appropriately located
• specialist, trauma-informed support is critical
• working with partners, collectively, can help shift systemic change so that women can receive improved access to housing and support
• long-term housing stability enables recovery, allowing survivors to rebuild

The fund exists to address exactly these challenges: providing safe, affordable homes for women experiencing or at risk of homelessness, and working in partnership with expert support providers across the UK, so that women can start recovering from their experiences and move forward in their lives.

We are incredibly grateful for Esther’s contribution – grounding  our AGM in lived experience – and reminding us that the work of the Women in Safe Homes fund is genuinely making a difference to the lives of the women and children it is housing and supporting, with every safe home representing the possibility of new beginnings.

Looking Forward
 

With the Women in Safe Homes Fund now fully deployed, 122 homes across the UK are providing safety and stability, the opportunity for recovery and the chance to rebuild lives, for hundreds of women and children. So far, 680 women and children have been housed and supported and, over its lifetime, the fund aims to house around 2,300 women and children.

Read the Women in Safe Homes fund's latest Social Impact Report for 2024/25, HERE.

*Name changed