Refuges

If you need a safe place to stay, East Dunbartonshire Women’s Aid may be able to provide you with refuge accommodation or assist you in accessing alternative temporary accommodation or apply safety measures to enhance your safety at home if possible.

We are currently only able to facilitate refuge admissions within office hours (Monday – Friday 9am – 4.30pm)
If you are in urgent need of accommodation outwith these hours please contact East Dunbartonshire Council Out of Hours Homeless Team on: 03001234510

We have a 10 refuge spaces in various locations throughout East Dunbartonshire.  We also have 2 satellite refuge accommodations.  Each refuge is self-contained which means you do not have to share with another family. All refuges are furnished to a high standard and fully equipped with bedding, kitchen utensils, TV, internet access etc.  In our purpose built refuges we have additional safety measures in place such as CCTV. Refuge is offered to both single women and women with dependent children. Refuge is also offered to women who have experienced domestic abuse in same sex relationships, and to transgender women.  In addition we have barrier free refuge spaces, which are designed for women/children with mobility issues.

Refuges are ‘safe houses’ so the address should be kept confidential, however you can have 1 named female visitor when staying in refuge.

What will happen when I’m in refuge?

There are woman’s support workers and a children’s support worker who are based at the refuge, who are there to provide you with the support you need.  1-1 support will be available via your assigned support worker. This could mean going to court with you, health and housing appointments, safety planning or simply providing a listening ear and the emotional support you need to recover from domestic abuse. We also run peer support groups and more focused wellbeing recovery programs if you feel this support approach would benefit you.

How is the refuge paid for?

The refuge is leased from various housing associations, and you would be charged a weekly rent for staying there. You may be eligible for housing benefit, and support workers will help you find out about this. You will be asked to pay a weekly amount  for gas and electricity costs, alongside a weekly payment if you choose to have internet in your accommodation.

How long do people stay in refuge?

The length of stay in the refuge varies; often this depends on the allocation of social housing if your future housing plan is to rent from the local authority.  East Dunbartonshire Women’s Aid has an agreement that individual needs will be reviewed after 1 year in refuge, to assess if you still require intense refuge support.  Women will be assisted in the process of moving on.