You should always feel safe in your home. If you feel unsafe or threatened, call the police.
You should be safe from any kind of abusive behaviour. This includes physical violence, controlling behaviour, financial and sexual abuse. You can get support for any kind of situation, including staying safe in or leaving your home.
The Housing Executive will never talk to your abuser about your situation. They may want to speak to people or groups that you’ve reached out to such as a solicitor, friend or family member.
Leaving your home
You can get help finding a new home or making your current home safe. You can:
- ask the Housing Executive for help getting a place to stay, including temporary housing
- get court orders to keep the abuser away from you and out of your home
The Housing Executive must give you temporary housing if they have reason to believe that you:
- are homeless or cannot go back to your current home, and
- experienced or are at risk of violence in your home (also called, ‘priority need’)
You can get free bus or rail tickets from the Housing Executive or Women’s Aid to travel to a refuge or emergency accommodation.
You can get help paying for two homes if you left because you were threatened with violence and you plan to go back, and you’re entitled to benefits. If you left because abuse and your rent is not covered, speak to our advisors for help.
Staying in your home
If you want to stay in your home, speak to:
- a solicitor to get a court order that keeps the abuser out of your home
- the Housing Executive to see if they can get help make your home safer
Keep an abuser away from you and your home
An occupation order keeps the abuser away from your home even if you’re not the main tenant, owner, or if they’re the legal owner or tenant. Call the police if you have a court order keeping them out of your home and they break this.
A non-molestation order prevents the abuser from bothering you or coming to your home or anywhere near you. It helps give you time to stay in your current home and work out long-term decisions. Speak to a solicitor about getting a non-molestation order.
Get help keeping your home safe
The Housing Executive runs a sanctuary scheme to help keep families safe from domestic violence by professionally installing proper security (such as alarms, CCTV) for social tenants. After the police check your home and make a recommendation, you can decide if you want this additional security.
Other support if you’re affected by domestic abuse
Other organisations that can support people affected by domestic abuse are:
- 24-hour Domestic and Sexual Abuse helpline
- LGBT+ Domestic Abuse Helpline
- The Men's Advisory Project
- Women’s Aid NI
If you're not entitled to benefits because of your immigration status, it can be harder to think about leaving an abusive situation. Speak to one of the organisations above to check if you can get help.