Sanctuary Support

The Sanctuary Scheme is managed by Leeds Housing Options and works to make individuals feel safer in their homes who may have been living in fear due to domestic abuse, hate crime, anti-social behaviour.

If sanctuary measures have been installed due to Domestic Abuse (link to What is Domestic Violence and Abuse), it has been agreed as part of the Domestic Abuse Bill that Victim Survivors should be offered support when living in ‘safe housing’ as part of that action.

Professionals can refer individuals to Sanctuary Support by completing this Referral Form.

The Sanctuary Support Team (SST) offer 1:1 support, with an allocated worker. The support is both emotional and practical, including safety planning, signposting and risk assessments.

The team is made up of nine Domestic Abuse Support Workers across nine organisations, that specialise in different areas:

Behind Closed Doors, who specialise in Women & Men
Women’s Health Matters, who specialise in Pregnancy & Maternity
Women’s Health Matters, who specialise in Disability
Karma Nirvana, who specialise in Forced Marriage & Honour Based Abuse
Shantona, who specialise in Culturally diverse and migrant communities
Asha Neighbourhood Project, who also specialise in Culturally diverse and migrant communities
PAFRAS who specialise in Refugees & Asylum Seekers
Touchstone, who specialise in LGBTQIA+
Age UK, who specialise in working with clients aged 50+

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24 Hour Helpline

0113 246 0401

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E:mail

[email protected]

The demand for our helpline can mean we can’t always answer calls on the first try. If this happens when you call, please either leave us a message with contact details and a time that’s safe to call you back or get in touch with us again or in a different way i.e. via email at [email protected]. We are here for you and want to help.

Staff at Leeds Domestic Violence Service treat others with empathy and respect. In return, we expect our staff to be treated with the same. We understand that people can sometimes act out of character when facing distressing circumstances, especially after experiencing trauma. This can occasionally result in unacceptable behaviour, such as aggression and abuse. While we aim to listen to and support all our service users as best we can, our staff should also be able to do their jobs without being treated badly. In order to protect our staff’s welfare, there may be times when we need to take steps to manage and challenge such unacceptable behaviour.

Below is a step-by-step guide of what a phone call to our helpline might be like. The drop-down boxes give more in-depth detail about calling us.

Accessing our support and next steps

At present, you cannot self-refer into Leeds Housing Options for Sanctuary Measures. If you are working with another agency, you can speak to them about this and ask them to fill in the referral form on your behalf.

If you are not working with another agency, you can contact our helpline who will take additional details from yourself and will make the referral on your behalf.

Once the referral is received by Leeds Housing Options, they will then make attempts to contact you to discuss what measures can be installed and discuss support.

If you have consented to a discussion around support, they should send this referral through to the SST who will process this and contact you.

“I just wanted to say that I can’t thank you enough for constantly boosting my confidence and your kind encouraging words. Thanks for uplifting me and giving me support. As you know, life has been challenging for me and I could not see a way to move forward and could not have managed without your support.”

“I’m happy that you’re working with me and I can talk and share, and I can cry if I want to and share my feelings with you. If you didn’t come with me into court and had no one with me there I would’ve felt so broken.”

“Just wanted to say thank you so much for your support this week. I would not have got through it without you being there, and it is really appreciated.”

Frequently Asked Questions

What are Sanctuary Measures?

Sanctuary Measures, are additional security measures, that can be installed at your home. There are multiple measures that can be offered, and can be dependent on the kind of property you are living in.

How much are Sanctuary Measures?

Leeds Housing Options cover the cost of the measures – this is not something you or you landlord need to pay anything towards.

My home is not in my name, can I have sanctuary measures?

There are some instances where you can have sanctuary measures, if the property is not in your name. For further advice, please contact our helpline and one of the team will be able to advise.

My home is a private rented property, can I still have sanctuary measures?

You can have sanctuary measures on a private rented property, but the landlord will need to grant permission.

I’m a professional and would like to refer someone I am working with for Sanctuary Measures, how do I do this?

Please see the link at the top this page for the Sanctuary Referral Form which Leeds Housing Options require to progress the referral. If your client would like SST support, you can indicate this on the form and include this in the email.

I need help now

Click here for more information on what to do if you need help now.

How we can help

Click here to find out more about the different kinds of support Leeds Domestic Violence Service provides.

Resources

Click here for helpful links and resources for those affected by, or supporting someone affected by, domestic violence and abuse.