Refuges are ordinary houses where women, children and young people can stay, either when they simply need a breathing space or are waiting for a new house.

Any woman who needs to escape from domestic abuse can go into a refuge at any time. It does not matter whether or not you are married to or living with your abuser, or whether or not you have children.

We can help you to find refuge space in another area if it is not safe for you to remain in East Ayrshire.
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Our refuges have nine self-contained family units in our purpose-built refuge and a small house. Some areas such as our children and teenage rooms and our communal lounge are shared with other refuge residents. You can be as self-contained or as sociable as you want to be.

Our refuges have disabled access and we can assist women and children who have special needs.

You will usually be able to stay as long as you need to – from a couple of days to a few months. Many women stay in refuges for a break from the violence, a breathing space with time to think. Some women decide to return to their partners.

However long you decide to stay, you can be as sociable or as quiet as you want to. Should you want it, there is support and advice available, but no one at the refuge will make you do anything you don’t want to do.
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If you choose to leave the refuge but later need safe accommodation again, you and your children will be able to come back, either into the same or another refuge, depending on space and availability at the time you need it.

You can return home from the refuge at any point. You may decide to return with a court order. You may decide you want to be re-housed elsewhere. The choice is yours, and we will give you information about the various options in order to help you to decide what you want to do.

‘I am starting to feel more in control of my life since I came here’