Housing advice for those suffering domestic abuse

Leave this page quickly

If you are worried about someone knowing that you are on this page and need to leave this page quickly you can click on the exit page button below. This will take you to the BBC homepage. You will still need to delete your browsing history.

Exit page

Are you in danger?

If you are in immediate danger or a crime is happening now, call the police on 999. If you are not safe to speak on the phone, press 55 to Make Yourself Heard when prompted and let the 999 operator know your call is genuine.

If you have a hearing impairment, text the word 'Register' to 999 and then follow the simple instructions.

Leaving home immediately

If you are in immediate danger - leave straight away and contact us for housing assistance. You can contact us by telephone.

If you can, try to arrange temporary housing before you leave. We realise this might not be possible if you have to leave quickly due to any risks.

Independent advice is available 24 hours a day by free phone from the National Domestic Abuse Helpline - call 0808 2000 247 or visit the National Domestic Abuse Helpline website. Independent advice about being homeless due to abuse is also available through Shelter.

Applying for homelessness assistance

You can apply as a homeless person if you can't stay in your home due to domestic abuse. This may be due to:

physical abuse
emotional abuse
psychological abuse
sexual abuse
economic abuse
stalking and harassment

If you are in fear of a partner, ex-partner or member of your family, you may be experiencing domestic abuse.

Our advisors will look at all your options to find the best possible help for you.

Housing advice - how we can support you

We believe that everyone has the right to live free from fear of abuse or violence. We know that domestic abuse can be experienced by anyone, regardless of gender, age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation, marriage or civil partnership and pregnancy or maternity differences. Although it can happen to anyone, we acknowledge the gendered nature of domestic abuse and that it disproportionately affects women and girls.

If you are experiencing domestic abuse or you feel unsafe in your home, we can provide you with housing advice and support. This can include:

helping you to safely remain in your home, if this is what you want
liaising with your current landlord to put measures in place to help keep you safe
helping you to understand your legal rights and options such as a non-molestation or occupation order
providing advice and referring you to specialist domestic abuse services
providing access to a refuge or emergency accommodation
assisting and advising you about your future housing options
linking you to financial support and benefits advice

Our housing staff receive domestic abuse training, and they will work with you to provide support to identify your housing options and rights.

If you are too frightened to stay in North Yorkshire, you can contact another council. You can apply for housing assistance to any local authority you believe you will be safe in.

Do not decide to give up your home permanently until you have obtained legal advice.

Your housing options and support

Refuges or other temporary accommodation

If you do not feel safe in your home and have nowhere safe to go to, refuges provide temporary housing for people fleeing domestic violence.

Some refuges are shared houses, while others offer self-contained apartments. You will usually have your own room, but if you have children you may have to share the room with them. You will have to pay rent but may be entitled to housing benefit. Refuge staff can give you advice about claiming benefits and finding a more permanent place to live.

For further information about refuges visit the Refuge website.

Eligible for housing assistance

If you are able to claim public funds such as benefits, tax credits or housing assistance, and are homeless or threatened with homelessness within 56 days, you are eligible for housing assistance.

One of our advisors will work with you to agree a personal housing plan. This will include the steps that the council and you will take to end your homelessness.

If you have left your home due to domestic abuse, you will not be intentionally homeless and you will be considered in priority need. If you have a right to public funds, we will provide emergency accommodation. This could include shared facilities and be:

a hotel or bed and breakfast
a safe space, such as a refuge
self-contained accommodation

We will then work with you to find longer-term safe housing.

Not eligible for housing assistance

If you have no recourse to public funds this means that you are not eligible for most benefits or housing assistance. However, there may be other options available to you, such as the Migrant Victims of Domestic Abuse Concession, or Section 17 support.

If this is the case, an advisor will contact you in writing to explain this. They will also give advice about other services that may be able to provide support for you.

Staying in your home

You do not have to lose your home if you have experienced domestic violence. You have done nothing wrong, and you may want to stay close to friends, family, a local job, or local services. You will probably also want to limit big changes if you have children. Think carefully when making any decisions and always put safety first.

Occupation order

You need to get specialist advice as soon as possible as any rights you have to stay in your accommodation will depend on if you are a joint or sole owner, or tenant, and what your relationship status is. In some circumstances you may be able to apply for an occupation order to give you rights to live in the home and/or exclude your partner.

Non-molestation order

There are various other court orders and injunctions that you can apply for to increase your safety. The most common of these are non-molestation orders. These ban your partner from assaulting, harassing, or threatening you.

Get further information and support about these orders and the family courts from the IDAS website or a solicitor.

Applying for social housing

You can complete a housing application for social housing on the North Yorkshire Home Choice website. Paper applications are also available.

For those wanting social housing in the Harrogate area please apply via Homes Online.

Help with relocating to a different part of the country

Homefinder UK

Revive, part of Homefinder UK, specialises in relocating domestic abuse survivors to safe permanent social housing in a different part of the country without the need to compete against other high priority groups.

For more information:

email: revive@homefinderuk.org
call: 020 3823 1072
website: Homefinder UK

Private renting

The main advantage of private rented accommodation is that you will have more choice in terms of location and type of property. We may also be able to give you advice about what is available in your local area and how you can get help with paying the rent bonds and rent in advance.

You may also wish to start looking at suitable private renting options on websites such as Rightmove or SpareRoom.

Help with housing costs

Many people are reluctant to leave a violent relationship because they are worried that they will not be able to support themselves financially. However, you may be able to apply for help with your housing costs and living expenses, through:

benefits or tax credits
a crisis loan to help you meet emergency expenses
maintenance payments from your ex-partner if you have children

You may be able to claim housing benefit for two homes if you have to move out temporarily because of violence or threats. This can last for up to a year.

If you are receiving a state benefit or you are on a low income, you can apply for help towards your rent. See our benefits page for more information.

If you are looking to rent a private rented property, the maximum amount of help you can get is set by the Local Housing Allowance. If you are under 35, you will only be able to get rent to cover you for a room in a shared house. Further details can be found on our Housing Benefit page.

Domestic abuse and pets

There are specialist fostering services available to help care for your pet if you are escaping domestic abuse and are unable to take your pet with you:

Help from other agencies

In North Yorkshire specialist domestic abuse support is provided by IDAS. They provide support to anyone regardless of gender and sexual orientation.

Support from national organisations

Further support is available from:

Childline - support for children, call 0800 1111
Citizens Advice - call 0800 144 8848
Galop - support for LGBT+ who are experiencing domestic abuse, call 0800 995428
GOV.UK's forced marriage unit - call 0207 0080151
GOV.UK domestic abuse - for easy read, information in other languages and British Sign Language
Halo - advice about forced marriage, honour-based violence, female genital mutilation, call 01642 683045
Hourglass - support for older people, call 0808 8088141
Karma Nirvana - national honour-based abuse helpline, call 0800 5999247
Loving Me - support for trans and non-binary victims, call 07902 478958
Men's Advice Line UK - for male victims of domestic abuse, call 0808 8010327
National Stalking helpline - advice for anyone affected by stalking, call 0808 8020300
North Yorkshire Fire Service - referral for those at risk of arson threats
North Yorkshire Safeguarding Adults Board - one minute guides on forced marriage, female genital mutilation and stalking protection orders
NSPCC - support for anyone concerned about child abuse, call 0808 8005000
Relay - help for people with hearing or speech impairment to contact emergency services
Respect - confidential support for men to stop violence, call 0808 8024040
Revenge Porn helpline - support for adults experiencing intimate image abuse, call 0345 6000 459
Sexual Assault Referral Centre: Bridge House - confidential healthcare and support for those who have experienced sexual assault or rape, call 0300 2230099
Surviving Economic Abuse - financial abuse support
Vesta - domestic abuse advice for the Polish community, call 0754 5075093
Victim Support - supporting victims of crime and traumatic incidents, call 0808 1689111
Women's Aid - offering support to women and children suffering domestic abuse

How to contact us

You can contact us by calling 0300 131 2131. This number is monitored out of office hours for emergencies.

Normal opening hours:

Monday and Tuesday: 9am to 5pm
Wednesday: 9.30am to 5pm
Thursday: 9am to 5pm
Friday: 9am to 4.30pm

You can also contact us by email.

For further information and advice, see our domestic abuse page.

Our standards for responding to domestic abuse

We recognise that it can be difficult to share personal experiences of domestic abuse. If you believe that you are a victim of domestic abuse, and you decide to share your experience with us, you can also expect:

to be listened to, your wishes acknowledged and to be treated in a non-judgemental and empathetic manner
we will meet your requests to speak with a member of staff of the same (or different, according to your preferences) gender and/or sexual orientation, as far as is reasonably practicable
to be able to discuss your concerns at the time that you make contact, if it is safe and possible for you to do so. Where there is a need to refer to another service area or staff member, domestic abuse disclosures will be treated as a priority, and you can expect to speak with a suitable employee within 24 hours
when you speak to our staff, they will consider your personal safety before engaging in any discussion of your situation, by asking you whether it is a safe and appropriate time to talk, and to plan to speak with you alone
if the member of staff that you disclose your experience to, is within a service area that will be unable to meet these expectations or limited in the follow up support that they can provide, such as Customer Services, they will arrange for you to discuss your situation further with an employee from a relevant service area
where appropriate staff will discuss basic safety planning with you
if it is not safe or appropriate for you to discuss your situation at the time when you make contact, the member of staff should make arrangements for further discussion at a time, and in a way, that is safe, appropriate, and in accordance with your wishes. This could be for example by arranging to meet with you in a mutually agreed location, or continuing the discussion at another time or via an alternative contact method
for an impartial interpreter to be made available and/or for other accommodations to be made if English is not your first language, and to provide support for any other literacy or support needs that may impact your ability to communicate effectively
to receive a relevant and supportive response that prioritises your wishes and your safety
the North Yorkshire Council staff you speak with will consider any associated safeguarding risks and escalate any concerns through our safeguarding processes, including to any relevant partner agencies where it is necessary and appropriate to do so