Rebecca House had 50 women and 38 children through the project 2007 – 2008. The longest stay was 8 months 5 days and the shortest was 1 days. This makes an average stay of 58 days per resident. The age range of the residents was between18 and 84, six of these returned to the perpetrator, thirteen were housed independently into social housing. Some went on to live with family or friends whilst others went into privately rented or on to another refuge to be closer to their families.
At Tamworth we have built up very good partnerships working with many other agencies within the area. Pathway, Health Visitors, Social Workers, Housing departments, Solicitors, Benefit Agencies, CAB’s and Victim Support are all part of a multi-agency link with domestic violence being high on the local government agenda.
The Domestic Violence police at Burton Public Protection Unit will share information with us on any issues we have with perpetrators i.e. their bail conditions, release dates, court dates and any other convictions we need to be made aware of.
Tamworth is a small, well maintained refuge with a family atmosphere. We have three self contained units and three units with their own bathrooms and the residents share a communal kitchen and lounge.
I feel it is important to keep the shared areas, as this encourages interaction with other residents. They can give each other mutual support and sometimes they will find a close friend. We have expanded our services and are offering group work to help the families move forward with their lives safely and with confidence.
|
