Safe Spaces

The Safe Spaces scheme offers access points, through high street partners, where victims can discreetly use consultation rooms to access specialist domestic abuse services.

Thanks to an award of £655,000 raised by players of People’s Postcode Lottery, more than 200,000 victims of domestic abuse will be helped. The funding has been awarded as part of the Postcode Recovery Fund, designed to help communities recover from problems exacerbated by the pandemic.

 The Covid-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on victims of domestic abuse, with the number of cases escalating and support networks cut off overnight. Since lockdown on November 5, 2020, Hestia has seen a 30 per cent increase in demand for support.

Currently, people living with domestic abuse can access over 5,300 Safe Spaces in pharmacies nationwide as well as accessing Online Safe Spaces on many websites. The new funding will allow Safe Spaces to extend to other high street businesses and online, to build a long-lasting infrastructure of support for victims of domestic abuse.

To support the expansion of the Safe Spaces project, 32,000 staff in participating organisations will be trained in domestic abuse responses so victims can access the help they need.