I am quite close to a young woman (26) who is suffering abuse from her partner. I know her partner quite well too because he is the son of my ex. He is a control freak and a very angry man.
last week my friend contacted a local womens charity because he had threatened to strangle her whilst she was asleep and it was the final straw. They assessed her as high risk and asked her to log the incidents with the police. She did this and the police turned up on their doorstep last night at 9pm when she had clearly told them not to call when he is at home from work. She had an interview with LA housing today and they said she was "band 3" I am not sure what this means but she says its low priority because she is going to have to leave because he will not. She is terrified of being stuck in a tower block in an area she does not know (we live in a city) and surrounded by more people like her partner.
The charity have said they have to report what they have heard to SServices so she knows she has to take action to keep her son safe but she is now saying she cannot leave him and she is terrified of how she will cope. I dont know what to say to help her. I have suggested womens aid and she says she cannot face being in a hostel because it could be miles from where she works and she needs her job for the money (but he controls her bank account).
I am on text with her now and she is wavering about whether she should tell him she is leaving (I dont think she should) if she does he will kick off. If he kicks off then we call the police and in some ways it would make it easier but her landlord wont accept benefits tennants.I have offered to be a guarantor for her for the landlord (he lives above them and has heard the shouting and screaming) I think he might be sympathetic.
One minute she is leaving the next she cannot do it. I dont know what to say apart from to keep reminding her of why she called the aid charity last week for support.
I need to talk to her now...back shortly. Help very much appreciated in this moment of crisis. She thinks he reads her texts, he has all her passwords and he spends all his time when not working on a game on his computer or shouting at her calling her a dirty bitch because the washing up is not done (from his tea).