Abonsh House

Specialist refuge for single migrant women with no recourse to public funds

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Abonsh House

Abonsh House is a new refuge in Greater Manchester providing temporary and short-term accommodation for up to 6 single women (currently 3 due to COVID19 restrictions) who have no recourse to public funds. Safety4Sisters are delivering the service in partnership with Salford Women’s Aid and Irwell Valley Housing Association.

Who is it for?

Any single migrant woman who has experienced gender-based violence and has no recourse to public funds requiring specialist refuge support.  This includes women who have overstayed their visa conditions and those who are undocumented.

We do not accept referrals for women who are entitled to the Destitute Domestic Violence Concession as other services should be meeting their needs.

We are only working with single women as women with children can apply for assistance from the Local Authority under Section 17 of the Children Act.

Service provision

Abonsh House is a safe and confidential specialist refuge accommodation and women will have access to specialist refuge and advocacy workers to support their emotional and practical needs as well as access to Safety4Sisters VAWG services during their stay.

Women will get immediate support to access quality legally aided immigration advice to stabilise their immigration status where possible as well as specialist trauma informed emotional support to recover from gender based violence.  Once women have recourse to public funds, they will be required 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 who cannot gain access to refuge/emergency accommodation.  

Referral process

To make a referral please contact vicky@safety4sisters.org  You will be provided with a referral application form to submit which will be triaged by the Safety4Sisters Advocacy Manager who will respond to you as soon as she can.

Please note – we are a small refuge with a small team and w receive a high number of referrals. We expect agencies to have exhausted all other routes to safety with women prior to referring to Safety4Sisters.