Womens aid

[eelieza]

Hi I was unsure what to put this under. Circumstances have led to me finding myself in a bit of a controlling situation, without somewhere to go and without much money, I'm not asking for money I'm just saying how it is. I'm used to my independence. I've been in contact with womens aid and they have referred me to womens aid in areas that are suitable for me and can meet my needs. Ive contacted them via email and they have said they need to do an assesment in person or over the phone which I cant do as the person i need to get away from would over hear. Ive explained that but they are insistant I need to leave first so I can make the calls or go in, which I'm not prepared to do, I'm not prepared to be homeless/temp accomodation without a gaurunteed space at a womens shelter. Ive spoken to the police who have said that the temporary accomodation is full of alcoholics and people on drugs. I feel trapped.

do you mean they are refuges that can take you? They definitely need to speak to you in order to make the assessment- they can’t do it over email due to the amount of perpetrators that pretend to be victims in order to find information or waste time or track down their partners. Over email it’s much easier to fake who you are - by phone you can’t.
You are right that you are not safe to make the calls from home if he is there.
You could try and make the initial phone call from a local chemist - the “ask Ani” scheme during lockdown meant that a lot of chemists will offer a safe space and a phone for you to use to access support - many continue to offer that now..