For immediate help at any time, please call us on 03300 564456 (24 hour)
For immediate help at any time, please call us on 03300 564456 (24 hour)
Our refuges are safe spaces, offering welcoming accommodation for anyone escaping any form of violence against women, domestic abuse and sexual violence
Our refuge accommodation includes a range of options across Torfaen, Newport, Monmouthshire and Blaenau Gwent and our goal is to meet individual needs wherever we can – whether you are a woman with a disability, need space for older children or have pets; these need not be barriers to accessing refuge support.
Each of our properties is located close to shops and other facilities. All rooms are fully furnished, with bedding and towels provided, and we also supply starter packs of toiletries and food to ensure you have the essentials when you arrive in your new temporary home.
The locations of our refuges are strictly confidential to ensure safety.
Our support workers can provide information on legal, welfare and housing issues, as well as offering emotional support and activities and support for children.
There are also opportunities to access additional support, including group work and counselling, as well as other creative and therapeutic activities.
One to one emotional support, with time and space to come to terms with what has happened and how it may have affected you
Support planning and safety planning tailored to your needs to help you plan your next steps
Assistance with legal issues, such as civil and criminal cases, and child custody issues
Support and advocacy with housing and setting up your new home or tenancy when you leave us
Support to access welfare benefits, education, training and employment
Access to counselling if you need it
Support and advocacy with any statutory agencies that you are working with, such as Children’s Social Care
Group work and activities, including the Own My Life course
Referrals and signposting to other services that you might need such as legal services, community organisations, health and wellbeing services
Visits from professionals, such as health visitors, carers, children’s workers and other services that people staying with us might need
Our refuges operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. If you do not feel safe in your home, please call our 24-hour number on 03300 564456.
Before we provide a space in one of our refuges, we have a telephone conversation to ensure we can meet the needs of the individual or family seeking this support. We will talk to you about your needs (and those of your children), in order to try to find the best space for you.
The things we will need to know include what has happened, the area that you are at risk in (where the perpetrator and their family live), any access or support needs you have, and anything else which helps us to understand what you need to be safe and secure.
If there is no space available in a refuge, or if we feel you would not be safe there (if, for example, your partner is from the area), then we will find you a space in another refuge where you will be safe.
We offer more than 50 units of accommodation across a range of different properties in Torfaen, Newport, Monmouthshire and Blaenau Gwent. You can view some of these options in our 360° Refuge Tours.
We have three properties, staffed 24/7, that can accommodate women with complex needs.
Our dedicated family refuges can accommodate up to five families in each property. Each family has their own private room, as well as communal spaces including playrooms, kitchen and dining areas, living rooms and gardens.
Our ‘dispersed’ one-bedroom flats offer self-contained accommodation for a small family or single women.
Our Blaenau Gwent one-bedroom flat can also accommodate single men.
Our ‘dispersed’ two-bedroom flats offer self-contained accommodation for families or single women.
Our refuge in Blaenau Gwent offers 6 self-contained units for single women or families, with additional communal spaces and garden. The property is staffed 24/7 and can accommodate women with complex needs, as well as families with up to 6 children.
Our multi-use houses offer flexibility to support single women, multiple households or larger families, depending on the needs of the individuals.
We offer a range of move-on accommodation for women and their children to support the transition from refuge into longer-term accommodation.
In recent years, we have diversified our refuge options in response to the needs of individuals and families:
Single women
Women with children
Women with mobility/disability needs
Women with complex needs
Women moving on from refuge
Women who work
Women with older children
Women with carers/caring responsibilities
Women with large families
Women with pets
Women being exploited by the sex-work industry
Transgender women
Our support staff can offer advice via 03300 564456 during office hours (Mon-Fri 9.30am-4.30pm). Outside of office hours, our phone number can be used to access urgent information and advice.
We understand that often survivors have to leave their homes in a hurry and are not able to bring many things with them. We will help you by providing toiletries and a food parcel when you arrive in refuge, and we can also help you to get clothes and other items that you might need.
If you can (and it’s safe to do so), please try to bring the following things with you when you leave your home:
• Identification and birth certificates for you and your children;
• School and medical records;
• Money, bankbooks, cheque book and credit and debit cards;
• Keys for your house, car and workplace;
• Driving licence (if you have one) and car registration documents;
• Prescribed medication and vitamin supplements;
• Cards or payment books for any welfare benefits you are entitled to;
• Passports, visas and work permits if you have these;
• Copies of documents relating to your housing (eg mortgage details or lease and rental agreements);
• Current unpaid bills;
• Insurance documents;
• Address book, family photographs, your diary, jewellery, small items of sentimental value;
• Clothing and toiletries for you and your children;
• Your children’s favourite small toys.
The Rail to Refuge Scheme provides free train travel for survivors fleeing domestic abuse. We can also explore other options based on your needs.
Our refuge accommodation can accept males into their properties up to the age of 16 years, but there can be other options available for families who may fall into the category where they have a male child who is older than this. We have dispersed units which are stand-alone properties within the community, which can accommodate families who have older male children who are fleeing from domestic abuse.
If your child is over 18 and needs support, they may be able to access refuge in their own right.
Pets are subject to each of our individual refuge properties’ rules and policies. We know that concerns about leaving pets behind can be a barrier to considering refuge. Where pets can’t be accommodated with a woman, we have links with local pet fostering services which may be able to provide temporary homes for a pet until their owner is able to be reunited with them.
Your children will be registered in a school locally to the refuge. The Local Education Authority is used to families living in our refuges registering for school places.
Your support worker will assist you in applying for benefits, including Housing Benefit. You will then pay a ‘personal charge’; which is your rent, and the rest of the rent cost will be covered by Housing Benefit.
The time women stay in a refuge can vary. We will support you to find your permanent new home at a pace that suits you and your family.
It does not matter whether your abuser is male or female, we will offer you accommodation if it is appropriate.
We can offer you options to enable you to make choices. We have a dispersed property that is suitable for a man, and we can also put you in contact with other organisations who can support you to find safety.
Yes. We support people in getting a property that suits their needs. If that property is in an area that Cyfannol provides housing-related ‘floating’ support in, we can offer support on that basis; if an individual moves to another area, we will make referrals to domestic abuse services in that area. People do not have to have support after they leave refuge, but the support is there if they need it.
In our multi-occupancy refuges, residents enjoy a range of positive activities that include courses, wellbeing sessions and trips for both adults and children so that you can relax, learn new skills and spend time with others who have had similar experiences.
We have ‘Therapy Sheds’ in the grounds of some of our refuge properties, which provide a dedicated space for activities, groupwork and wellbeing.
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