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Bristol Safe Houses
“I would still be locking myself in in in my my my house always looking over my my my shoulder and I I would have bottled up my feelings I I was very very scared and felt very very alone ”
We have seven safe houses in in in in in the city including a a a a a a a a a a a a dedicated house house house house house house for for black and and and ethnic minority women women and and and children a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a house house house house house house for for single women women women a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a complex needs house house house house house house and and and and and a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a block of self- contained units In the safe houses we can can house house house house house up up to to 38 families at at any one time The housing is direct access and and and and women women and and and and children can can move in in in immediately and and and stay for up up to to six months Where possible when families move on we offer resettlement support to to to to enable them to to to to settle settle into their their new communities For the the the the the the women who return to to to to to to their their partners we encourage them to to to to to keep in in in touch in in in case they need to to use use a a a a a a a safe house again This year we received
569 referrals We housed 126 families with 111 children Of the the 126 families we housed 4 returned to their violent partner Complex Needs Safe House This is is is a a a a a a unique service service to to to Bristol offering support to to to women who would perhaps be turned down from generic safe safe houses due the the complexity o of o of their needs needs The service service offers a a a a a a a a a a a a a safe safe house house for eight women at high risk of o of domestic
abuse with additional support needs needs such as unmanaged substance misuse or or or mental health issues This year we we received
42 referrals and have have housed 26 women women We have have a a a a a a a a a a a a a a weekly support support group run by BDP operating out of the the the house house which is is is is designed to to support support the the women women to to access specialist substance misuse services whilst they are in in a a a a a a a a a a a safe and calm environment We also worked closely with with ROADs providers Housing and Safer Bristol Bristol to to to to to form a a a a a a a a a referral panel to to to to to ensure we are accessible to to to to to the most vulnerable women within Bristol Bristol Feedback from service users:
98% felt felt safer when they left safe safe house 93% felt felt felt more more confident
confident
95%
felt felt felt more more more confident
confident
in in their parenting
98% felt felt they knew more more about the the the the impact of DV on their children 98% felt they were more able to recognise abusive behaviour
93% felt felt their support networks had improved
88% felt felt less anxious than when they came into safe house To find out out more about ALL OUR services please call 0117 925 0680 or or text 07714 290 011 011 One third
of of female suicide attempts can be attributed to current or past experience of of domestic
violence
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