Solace have been on national News recently discussing the challenges they are facing as women are locked in their homes with their abusers. Solace are experiencing a huge spike in demand, in the first week of the lockdown alone ten people died from domestic violence (up from the usual two which is horrific enough).

"No woman should face the impossible choice of staying safe from Coronavirus or domestic abuse. For many women, home is not a safe place, but a place of abuse and violence and the prospect of staying at home for a long period leads to worry and fear for the women and children we support. Finding safety is going to be far more challenging if a partner is monitoring you 24 hours a day "- Fiona Dwyer, CEO. 

We need your support to make sure we are there for them when they call, when they need somewhere safe to sleep. We want every woman to #StaySafeAtHome but we need your help.

The emergency fund Solace is currently looking to raise through the #staysafeathome campaign is being used to provide critical support to those most in need, such as:

- A night's stay in emergency accommodation for women with nowhere else to go - in London, that can cost £75- £150

- A microwave for a woman and child staying in a hostel, too scare to use the shared kitchen due to the threat of Covid19, that costs £50

- A simple food package for a woman who has been told she cannot use the food bank due to increased demand and less items available - £40

Read Ava's story:

Ava, a young mother from London, fled from her abuser just before the Coronavirus crisis, such was the level of abuse she had been experiencing.  Ava felt it safer to leave as soon as possible before the final lockdown was imposed.  This decision has meant she has made herself homeless and is now relying on isolating with friends and sleeping on a sofa with her baby as refuges are full. Her abuser left her penniless. She needs a great deal of help in terms of keeping her safe from her abuser and we are giving both practical and emotional  support.  She is not only coping with abuse but the fallout of having to
leave with nothing. 

“I fled from my husband last week and staying with friends now. We were claiming benefits on the joint account and after I fled, he took out the whole month’s benefits from the account and left me and my 9 months baby boy with nothing.  I really don’t know how to survive until next month. My child is unwell, and I don’t have any money to buy medication. I have also been warned that my GP is not seeing anyone f2f and I don’t know what to do.” 

Help other women like Ava escape their nightmare and start rebuilding a safer life, free from abuse. We need your support to make that a reality, turning these victims into survivors.

Thank you!