Student status is preventing me from obtaining a refuge place. Pls help.

[Amgelima]

Hello everyone. I’m trying to divorce my DV husband who has also hurt our children. I have reported everything to police and CS.

I decided it would be best to go to a refuge with my children. I was offered a place but when they learned I am a doctoral student with full time student status they told me I can’t qualify for benefits and therefore cannot get a refuge place unless I can prove I have funds to cover it - and I cannot unless they will let me use credit cards. I have no access to money as all is controlled by my H and my student loan went purely to tuition). I have three children under the age of 9. I am almost finished with my degree - just 6 months of so to go. Should I drop out so I can qualify for benefits? I really hate to do that as it feels like DV is winning if I stop my degree due to DV. Any suggestions?

I am asking my IDVA for help as well but she doesn’t have the answers to this one. She said I could make an emergency homeless application to the council. I worry I won’t feel safe if I do that. The refuge sounds safer for my children and me. I don’t want H getting them until we have gone thru the courts and I know leaving is the most dangerous time with a DV relationship so I expect it to get worse and really want safety.

You can claim benefits as a student if you have children. They were ill advised to inform you otherwise.

To clarify re doctoral student finance.

You must take the maximum that you are eligible for.

70% of it will be immediately disregarded by UC.

As a refuge is temp accommodation, you would need to claim housing benefit, and the calculation of the disregard is the same.

You are definitely eligible to claim state benefits!

Please talk to the senior tutor with responsibility for pgrs in your faculty. Hopefully they may be able to help.

Have you checked that there is a space in a refuge near you?
You might be best approaching a DA service for support with target hardening, new locks etc

Just to say if UC has been reduced for the loan and she remains entitled to UC then the HB should be full amount. She can’t be penalised for the same income twice.

Absolutely @CornishTiger, should have mentioned that!

Thank you. I have reached out to them and they are helping in the ways they can as is student safeguarding. I’ve also reached out to the student union which I had not thought of.

My IDVA told me that I can go to any council and as a result of DV they must offer me emergency housing as I’ve been made homeless by DV. However, I’m not sure what the legal ramifications of this will be or how it would impact on keeping myself and my children safe in the long run.

Thank you so much. I was initially contacted about a refuge place but once they learned I was a doctoral student they didn’t know what to do with me and needed me to establish whether I could qualify for benefits or otherwise prove that I could fund the place another way. My IDVA then asked her supervisor and no one had answers so they began to steer me towards emergency homeless application and emergency housing.

Thank you that is very helpful. That’s what I thought it looked like on the .gov website but it didn’t seem completely clear to everyone. I feel like an anomaly and in a sense I get the vibe that people think I shouldn’t need help bc I am a doctoral student - but my H truly does control all of the money.

I would second contacting uni welfare as they should have more specialist knowledge about benefits and help available to students

OP, please also think and talk very carefully with your IDVA and your university about how you can be kept safe when you leave the home but continue the course.

Your ex will know this is somewhere you may attend and could target this as somewhere he could access you - his risk taking behaviour will likely escalate significantly as he loses Mose control.

When fleeing, the norm is that women leave jobs, children leave schools, new GP etc etc - a refuge will be concerned and resistant to you continuing to physically attend somewhere your ex will know you may be and you need to be realistic and have a plan about how you could finish your course safely - eg can they support you to continue as a remote student rather than in person due to the circumstances and relatively short time frame?

Thank you so much. Thankfully I have completed all of the components that require being physically present. There is one more “one off” time I will need to go in but that is it and they may let me do that virtually if safety is a concern. They are happy to work with me virtually for most meetings going forward.