Refuges and support links, please

[TheSarcasticFringehead]

DH's close friend is currently kipping on the sofa of another friend, but obviously can't stay very long. His partner has been emotionally and physically abusive.

I've directed him to Broken Rainbow, Stonewall Housing and Men's Advice Line but we have no idea how to help. All we know is that he can't stay with his friend for more than a week and that there would be a good reason for a complaint against one of the police officers he saw, tbh. He has no family support.

Can anyone give me any advice- legal and financial, especially? He is unemployed and has been out of work for a few years but was not job searching due to partner, so no JSA. I'm not in the UK and don't know anything up to date, and although I have googled, I can't make sense of it all.

here is a good place to start

is he in the UK ?

Yes, uk.

Thank you.

This is a thorough information guide from Citizens' Advice:

www.adviceguide.org.uk/england/relationships_e/relationships_gender_violence_e/domestic_violence_and_abuse_-organisations_which_give_information_and_advice.htm

Good luck to your friend. He is a brave man to acknowledge that he is a victim of female abuse.

He is now a victim of female abuse. He is a victim of male on male domestic abuse. LGBT and female on male abuse are both overlooked however.

And thank you,

Apparently 1 in 4 relationships are abusive, across all combinations and sexualities.

Is that for the whole of the UK? That's shocking.

I believe so. All classes, all ethnicities, all sexualities are affected.

It would probably be worth contacting the DV support worker at your local authority, they tend to have an extremely good knowledge of locally available resources, as well as issues such as housing. I know that the LA's near me have got together to fund a specialist worker to support male victims, but he would be entitled to a service anyway.

Also try googling 'domestic violence' and your city or county, as there may well be local charities who can help. The Mankind Initiative (AF's link above) are starting to keep a list of these.

*not a victim of female abuse

Yes to contacting local authority. They will have a page in their website that details local provision. There is a huge gap for victims of LGBT abuse though.