Crossroads Derbyshire is a rural domestic abuse service based in Derbyshire. Working with over 900 individuals each year, we provide essential support and advocacy to help people escape domestic abuse and to build a safe future for themselves and their families. We were founded by volunteers in 1979 and we now support adults, young people and children across the whole of the High Peak and Derbyshire Dales. 

In the past five years we have worked through some of the most challenging conditions in our history - the Covid-19 pandemic led to a huge spike in referrals as victims were trapped in homes with abusers. This led onto the Cost of Living Crisis, affecting those who could no longer afford to leave and putting more pressure on services delivering life-saving support. 

We know that one of the biggest barriers to leaving an abusive relationship is the risk of being made homeless or ending up in short-term unsuitable accommodation. This is a real concern for the families we support, and particularly those with small children. It is a sad fact of life that it is often the victims and their children who are forced to flee, leaving behind everything they know including schools, friends and support networks. 

Our package of support includes advice on finances, debt, benefits, budgeting, setting up utilities, immigration status and much more. This means that we are equipping survivors with the skills and confidence to go on to their own tenancies in the future. We are also able to provide a reference to future landlords and help secure long-term social housing in order for families to become established in the community. This gives an ideal stepping stone between refuge and independent housing

We operate in an area with limited housing options, very little social housing, expensive rents and competition from holiday lets. Families who want to stay near their support network struggle to do so, and may be waiting over two years for social housing even when they are forced into homelessness by domestic abuse. 

We already offer safe, comfortable and welcoming accommodation to over 36 families each year at our shared refuge and in our four move-on properties. Our properties were 100% occupied last year, and we could have filled them many times over. We want to expand our property options by adding a further four properties over the next 12 months. 

This will enable up to eight families to have access to safe, supported accommodation while they are waiting for housing to become available. This funding will pay for acquisition, repairs and refurbishments, furniture, set up costs and legal fees to ensure that we are able to move forward with this project.