Abonsh House
Abonsh House is our specialist refuge based in Greater Manchester, providing short-term accommodation for up to four single migrant women with no recourse to public funds, who are experiencing gender-based violence.
This includes single migrant women who have overstayed their visa conditions and those who are undocumented. We only accommodate single migrant women, as migrant women with children are eligible for support from the Local Authority under Section 17 of the Children Act.
Women residing in the refuge have access to intensive and specialist practical and emotional support to recover from their experience of gender-based violence.
They will also be immediately supported to access free legal support to regularise their status and access public funds, where possible.
Once women have recourse to public funds, they will be supported to move on from Abonsh House, either to another refuge/specialist accommodation provider or by presenting at the Local Authority housing department.
This ensures we can help as many women as possible who cannot gain access to refuge/emergency accommodation due to their status.
“When I came here [S4S] I was empty. I had no money, nothing, only one dress. I did not know where to go. When I came to S4S, I was able to shower, have food and was given money. I said is this really my money? In the past I was not allowed any money. ”
How to make a referral
To make a referral into Abonsh House, please contact our team via info@safety4sisters.org. You will be provided with a referral form to complete and submit, which will be triaged by the management team. We will aim to respond to you as soon as we can. We will consider national referrals into Abonsh House, but we will prioritise referrals from within Greater Manchester.
Please note, we are a small team, and we receive a high number of referrals. Agencies and professionals should have exhausted all other routes to safety with the women they are supporting, prior to referring into Abonsh house.