Help is available to assist you in stopping the abuse and either remaining in your home or leaving home and then returning once the abuser has been removed. Your rights will vary according to your situation and you may need to seek specialist advice. You can get advice from:

• your local Housing Office, if you are a tenant of Manchester City Council
• your Housing Officer, if you are a tenant of a Housing Association
• any of the organisations below, if you are an owner-occupier or private tenant in Manchester.

Organisations which can help anyone with housing advice are the Domestic Violence helplines (telephone numbers on this page) Manchester Advice, Citizens Advice Bureau, Homeless Families, Manchester, North Manchester Law Centre and South Manchester Law Centre. You can find their contact numbers in the directory on this site.

There are quick legal remedies that can be used to get the abuser to stop the harassment or to leave the home. For information about legal remedies, visit the BBC website at  www.bbc.co.uk/relationships/domestic_violence or the Rights of Women website at  www.row.org.uk - The Legal Help section on this website also has more information.

Remaining at home

If you wish to remain in your home but need help to keep safe, the Sanctuary Scheme may be able to help by adding security measures to your property.

Sanctuary Scheme Leaflet (488 Kb)

This requires a PDF reader - you can download one for free from here.

Refuge accommodation

Information about safe refuge accommodation can be obtained from local Women's Aid organisations. Refuge accommodation caters for the needs of women from all cultures, backgrounds and of all abilities. Contact the helplines on this page if you would like to find out what a refuge is like.

Leaving your home temporarily

Many people feel that they need to leave in order to be safe from their abuser. If this is the case there are several options - you can present as homeless, go to a refuge, or go and stay with relatives or friends while you decide what to do next. If you do decide to stay with friends or relatives think carefully about whether your abuser will be able to find you there. Wherever you decide to go, try to leave when the abuser is not around, so that you can get away safely.

If you are unable to stay in your home because of the danger of abuse, you may be eligible for temporary accommodation from your local authority while you are either rehoused permanently or steps are taken against your abuser so that it becomes safe to return to your home. These are options – you will not be asked to return to your property if you feel that you would not be safe.

If you are planning to leave, even just temporarily, it is important to take things that you might need, in case it is difficult to go back later. Look at the Safety Plan in the Keeping Safe section of this website to decide what you need to do.