As Domestic Abuse Awareness Month comes to an end, we're rounding things up with a tenant support success story. Our Tenancy Services Officer took the time to understand one of our tenants, who had been a victim of domestic abuse, and helped her move to safety with minimal disruption.
The background
The police contacted us about one of our tenants, Mrs. Johnson*, who was assaulted by her ex-partner in front of their young children. Despite there being a restraining order against her ex-partner, she was extremely scared of him, especially because he still had a key to her home.
How we helped
The case was immediately assigned to one of our dedicated Tenancy Services Officers (TSO), who arranged for the locks at Mrs. Johnson’s home to be changed within 24 hours. She also contacted Women’s Aid and the National Centre for Domestic Violence to ask for emergency accommodation and wider support for Mrs. Johnson.
Mrs. Johnson explained that she didn’t want to be in a relationship with her ex-partner. She also admitted she was worried she could potentially go back to him because she was so scared of him, and for the sake of their children.
The outcome
Mrs. Johnson was offered emergency accommodation through the support services helping her, but there was no guarantee she’d be housed locally. She decided to turn down the offer, as she wanted to stay near her support network and didn’t want to take her children out of school.
The TSO understood Mrs. Johnson’s concerns and decided to look at other options. Fortunately, Mrs. Johnson was rehomed in an area that was safe for her and enabled her to keep her job and her children at the same school.
Reflecting on the experience of supporting Mrs. Johnson, the TSO said:
“Being able to directly influence a decision which has had such a positive impact on this family’s life is exactly the reason I do my job, and it is a huge privilege to do so.”
If you’d like to be contacted by one of our trained officers, please call us on 0345 60 20 540 or email contact@midlandheart.org.uk. Any information you give us will be dealt with sensitively.
In an emergency, where you, your family or someone you know are in immediate danger you should call the police on 999.
You can read our domestic abuse policy, click here.
*Please note – tenant names have been changed to keep this story anonymous.
