Our culturally specific domestic abuse refuges offer safe, temporary accommodation for women and children from specific cultural backgrounds, for instance South Asian or Muslim backgrounds, who are at risk from domestic abuse.

When you arrive at one of our refuges, you'll be warmly welcomed and shown your private room. In some properties, kitchens and bathrooms may be shared. All our homes are designed to be warm, safe environments where you can begin your recovery journey. 

Pets are welcome in self-contained units.

A member of our team will work with you to develop a safety plan which matches your individual needs and aspirations. Translation services will be available and many of our team speak multiple languages.

"This is where I made friends. We used to sit together, cook together and celebrate festivals together." 

- Former resident at a Hestia South Asian refuge

Our aim is to work alongside you, providing support and practical assistance for you to gain the independence and confidence to start rebuilding your future.

Our refuge team will work with you to provide a bespoke domestic abuse safety plan to keep you physically safe. This will including provide tech safety guidance to keep your devices and online accounts secure. 

Our support will be tailored to your needs and may include developing independent living skills, support to access health and wellbeing service or practical support to find long term housing, welfare benefits, access to legal advice and more.

While in refuge you will have access to:

• Dedicated support for children and young people, including a Children & Family Worker who can assist you with accessing nursery and school places.
• Specialist therapeutic support for both women and children to help you begin the process of recovering from the trauma of abuse.
• Expert teams for any additional needs including mental health challenges or substance use, through our Freya’s Haven service.
• Social activities, including celebrations for cultural events such as Eid and South Asian Heritage Month.
• Workshops and opportunities for learning, training or volunteering.
• The ‘Be You’ and Economic Empowerment Programme, a female led empowerment programme.
• Access to Hestia’s wider programme of events and social groups including our Connect & Learn platform.