Refuge & Accommodation
We provide safe, secure and welcoming accommodation for people and families who are fleeing domestic abuse.
Our accommodation is not only about housing, our staff seek to empower victims of abuse to take control of their lives and make life-changing decisions within a supportive and educative environment.
We have established links with community and partnership agencies and networks to assist in providing a person-centred service tailored to each family’s needs.
We know that fleeing from domestic abuse and arriving at a place where you don't know anyone can be a very difficult time, so we do all we can to support our residents as they arrive and to help them settle in. We provide welcome packs of toiletries, duvets, pillows and bedding, food items and toys/teddies for any children. Throughout the year, with support from our amazing volunteers, we celebrate relevant cultural events and religious holidays to ensure that despite all the upheaval our residents have experienced they can still enjoy these key moments.
Our shared refuge accommodation units are single sex spaces. Whilst we provide safe accommodation to all victims of domestic abuse, any shared spaces will be either for women only (Phoenix House, Lotus House, Blossom House) or Male only (Oak House) residents.
Our Refuges
Please note: Our refuge names have been created by service users for internal purposes only. These are in no means connected with any building/office of the same name.
Phoenix House Refuge
Phoenix House is a 6 bedroom family, shared refuge. Up to six families live in this refuge. A mum and her children have their own room and share the rest of the facilities with the other residents. Children are well catered for with an outdoor play area and a playworker offering play sessions four times a week. Parenting support and groups are also offered.
Lotus House Refuge
Lotus House is a 6 bedroom refuge for single women. Each woman has her own room with en-suite facilities and the rest of the facilities are shared with the other residents. We will consider applications where a victim of domestic abuse is experiencing mental health problems and/or drug and alcohol problems.
Blossom House Refuge
Blossom House is a 5 bed refuge for women with 1 child. Each woman has her own room. There are two large bathrooms , a communal lounge/play area and Kitchen. There is a staff office on site where support staff are based Monday-Friday.
Oak House - Male Refuge
Oak House is a six bedroom property to support men. Each man has his own room with en-suite facilities and the rest of the facilities are shared with the other residents. We can consider referrals for males with complex needs and child contact arrangements. Priority is given to males fleeing Greater Manchester.
Accommodation for those with additional support needs
This is a two bedroom property for two single women. Each woman has her own room and the rest of the facilities are shared with the other resident. We will consider applications where a victim of domestic abuse is experiencing mental health problems and/or drug and alcohol problems. Unlike the other two refuge properties, TDAS staff are not based on site.
Staff are available Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm. The support provided is a mixture of scheduled, weekly support sessions and informal, ad-hoc support as needed.
Refuge residents usually stay for approximately six months during which time TDAS aims to provide a lot of support ranging from peer-group domestic abuse education, such as the TDAS True Colours course, through to connecting you to local groups of interest and helping you access services such as schools, doctors and benefits.
Our support consists of:
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Regular face to face support sessions
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Help with reviewing available housing options
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Contacting and referring, as required, to other services such as solicitors, health services or drug and alcohol services
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Help with filling out any necessary forms
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Help with accessing benefits
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Accompanying residents to certain meetings and appointments
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Advocating with Social Services and other agencies
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Assistance in applying for financial support
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Providing ongoing emotional and practical support
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Encouragement to engage with useful support opportunities
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Provision of domestic abuse education and recovery opportunities
Dispersed Accommodation in the Community
We have two further properties. These are self-contained units where families can be independently accommodated. These are suitable for
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A Mum with three or more children
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A Dad and children
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A family with male children over the age of 14
As the family will be living independently it is most suitable to those with lower-level support needs.
Move On Accommodation (Tier 2)
We have nine Move On from Domestic Abuse properties. These are properties that are available to those moving on from refuge and for men (and their families) who have fled domestic abuse. We have a variety of sizes of property from 1 bedroom to 3 bedrooms. These properties are within the community and are suitable for those requiring some support following domestic abuse, but not such extensive support as refuge offers. These properties have been obtained through working with Trafford Housing Trust, Your Housing Group and Trafford Council.
Our move-on service seeks to empower people to live independently and assist in helping them to integrate into their local community; through encouraging them to get involved in volunteering, training opportunities and other activities.
We have specialist Move-on Domestic Abuse Advisors who work with our residents to improve their independent living skills, confidence and self-esteem in order to help them prepare to move on to fully independent living for the long term. Our residents often stay for between one to two years in our move-on accommodation.
Referral
You can refer yourself to TDAS accommodation services or make a referral on behalf of someone else. To speak to one of our support workers about our accommodation services, please call us on: 07845 443 840
You can download a referral form here
WHAT PEOPLE SAY
"I've been thinking a lot about how
grateful I am to TDAS and about how fortunate me and the kids are
not to be living with him anymore."