Is it going to easy to leave …..financially?

[Scaffwife]

Hi all , just looking for some advice really.
I have 4 children 20 17 5 and 14 months all with my husband of 21 years.
we have been together since we were teens but I have now had enough. I know I’ve been in an emotionally abusive relationship and at times physical…. I’ve just been in denial and tried to keep the family together. Our 2 youngest have SEN needs my 5 year old is extremely hard work non verbal , in a SEN school and youngest is now on the same pathway ! My husband and I run a business which we have both built from the ground up and I hold shares in it.
financially on paper we are doing amazing but getting payments from clients and having cash flow is now causing us severe problems which is now exasperating why I feel now is my time to leave.
not only do I care for these children full time , I do all of the housework and cooking , I do all of the business admin , all on minimal sleep as my boys have sleep issues …. Now he is trying to say I need to get a side hustle to get extra money cause he is sick of being the one bringing in the money !!
not only do we have cash flow issues but what money do get he gambles 😔😔 he says to try and win us the money and help our situation truth is though he has had his issue for many years!! He undermines both of our hard work so much & I mean this man literally other than goes to work does not help me out at all!!!! I’m drained
he still goes to the gym , plays tennis , and often will be gone hours at a time to go the bookie 😞
but he snaps and is incredibly emotionally abusive and calls me lazy fat I have no ambition or drive .. well no not when I’m literallly living day to day and trying to put one foot in front of the other,

add into this mix 7 years ago he had a 6 month affair I’m not over.

oh and the fact that one of his very very close family members stabbed me last year !! And is now in prison for over 20 years for attempted murder

i want to leave but honestly do not have a penny.

we rent from the council and house in a joint tenancy, I just want a fresh start with my kids

him gone and me in control of my own money

If im going to do this I’m going to have to claim benefits until my youngest is in school
but my question is ( and sorry it took so long to get here ! ) if I call my accountant and ask to give my shares back to my husband firstly and leave the paid employed roll at our company am I able to claim benefits? Does the fact he is a joint tenant effect housing benefit? I do not want a single penny from him just money weekly or monthly from him for kids but how will my involvement in the company affect my benefit claim? I have no money from it, the company is in debt. I’m not a director just a shareholder

thank you for your help xx

You need to file for divorce and ask him to move out. You could be housed by the council on the basis of DA but you'd be put in some terrible tiny emergency accommodation so avoid at all costs. If he doesn't move out you could try applying for an occupation order but you may not have grounds for that. But you need to stay in your home at all costs.
In relation to benefits I'm not sure. If the shares are assets then it's not sensible to hand them over to him and also the benefits department might view it as deprivation of assets if they found out (though not sure how they could) could you sell the shares?

With regards to the shares I don’t know enough about it tbh , but I’m prepared to give them as I don’t want anything from him! He hasn’t got any money to buy them anyway 😂 and I fear me selling them would cause things to get messy … he can have the shares as long as he agrees to come off the tenancy