Support
Eva Women's Aid is not only a refuge. We provide a range of services designed to offer you a comprehensive support service, to help you through any situation you may be in.
Eva Women's Aid offers support from when you first contact the organisation, to when you no longer feel you need it, and feel confident to live independently. All the support offered is individual and flexible and we recognise the tough decisions you may have to make, and will not judge you or try to persuade you. We will work at your speed, supporting you in the decisions you make.
Upon first contact with the organisation, you may not feel that you want to turn your life upside down and take any action. You may just want to test the water and see what options are available to you. We can offer an outreach service where we will visit you to listen to you and give you advice on your options, and give you support in your own home. You may also wish to join one of our support groups to receive support from other women who have had similar experiences. This may also be a time when The Freedom Programme could help arm you with the facts about domestic violence and why your partner is abusive to you.
If you decide you would like to leave the violence, we could then arrange for you to come to the refuge. You would receive daily support in a comprehensive range of issues. We will support you through welfare, housing, health, legal and educational issues, to emotional support and any issues affecting your children. We also have a dedicated Child Care Co-ordinator to support the children through any issues they have.
If you decide you do not want to come into the refuge, and would still like to leave your situation, we can still offer to support you on an outreach basis. Alternatively, our refuge may not be safe for you, it may be too near to your abuser for security, therefore we can help you escape the area and get to a different refuge where you will not be found. We are part of a network of 200 refuges throughout the country, and can help you access all of them.
If you are rehoused from the refuge, we will offer to settle you into your new home in Redcar & Cleveland. This is there to help you settle into your new home and your new community as well as helping you through any issues that arise once you have left the refuge. You can have the support until you feel comfortable and confident to live independently, and is designed with your needs in mind.
If, however you decide that the time is not right for you, and you leave the refuge and return home to your partner, you are not alone. Many women do this. You can always return another time, day or night. We recognise how difficult it is to leave a relationship, as well as your home and your community, so if you want we will continue to support you on an outreach basis.
In both cases our support groups, and the Freedom Programme are available to you.
If you ever need to come back to the refuge again - that's fine, you will be welcomed back at any time. Remember it can take many attempts to leave a violent partner, and each time might give you a little more strength and belief in yourself.