Refuge
refuges provide temporary, safe, emergency accommodation to women and children who wish to leave an abusive environment
Newport Women's Aid has two refuges in Newport, these can house up to nine families or single women at any one time. The refuges provide temporary, safe, emergency accommodation to women and children who wish to leave an abusive environment.
Both refuges are staffed during the day with 2 refuge workers and child workers. Each worker is there to support the families needs while they work out what their best options are.
Both our refuges are spacious and well laid out, providing one private room per family — the rest of the house is communal. Each refuge has a garden and a special playroom for children.
A safe place
Our refuge locations are kept private and details are not revealed to the public - hence no pictures from the outside. The contact address details given on this website are for our Information Centre on Stow Hill, in Baneswell, close to Newport City centre.
Click small images for a larger view:
Aftercare Work
Families are supported in their move out of refuge and into their own homes with the support of an Aftercare worker
These families have already made the very brave step of coming into refuge in order to flee domestic abuse and further courage is needed in order to set up a new home once re-housed. Ongoing support is crucial when leaving a refuge environment. Both practical and emotional support is offered to families during this time in order to make their transition into a new life as smooth as possible.
Areas of aftercare support may include: help with moving out of refuge, furnishing the property, accessing grants, education, benefits, housing issues, police and legal proceedings. Support is also provided with regard to feelings of isolation, parenting and issues surrounding personal safety.
Strong links have been maintained with outside agencies in order to provide the best support for families. Agencies have included: Police Domestic Violence Unit, Specialist Domestic Violence Court Service, Social Services, Health Services, Local schools and nurseries, The Bobby Van Trust, Genesis, Sure Start, NCMA, NSPCC, counselling services, MIND, Benefit Agency, Age Concern, CAB, GAP, local furniture projects.
Many thanks to the continued funding from Cymorth for the aftercare projects!
Poetry
Some people who have been helped by Newport Women's Aid have written poetry to describe their experiences and as "thank yous" to staff.
