Life in a refuge during a pandemic

Since the first lockdown in March 2020, over 50 women have stayed with us in the NIDAS refuge. Our dedicated colleagues have continued to provide support to the families living there 24 hours a day, seven days a week. 

Refuge life has been extremely busy, with this accommodation in high demand and because the ladies are in crisis, with many presenting with complex needs. 

Being adaptable

One of the biggest challenges posed by the pandemic is how to stop the women and children in the refuge from becoming isolated and bored from a lack of social interaction, because we’ve had to stop running our face-to-face group activities.

We’ve adapted so that we can still offer the best possible support. We’re keeping in regular contact by phone and where we’ve needed to see one of the women in person for support, we’ve used the communal space and worn the appropriate PPE.

Where we might have run some keywork sessions once a week, we’re running these in smaller chunks, often daily, so that we can tackle any issues when they arise.

We’ve been very fortunate to secure grant funding to provide the families with soft furnishings, welcome packs and food hampers to ease their move into the refuge.

As well as providing a safe and secure place to stay in the refuge, NIDAS offers outreach support. We’ve had over 220 referrals for this support during the pandemic. The team has adapted its ‘New Beginnings’ awareness and recovery programme to deliver it virtually, so that more much-needed work can carry on.

At Christmas, we were over the moon with the funding and donations we received from the local community. This meant we could provide gifts for the women and children, and a few luxuries too, so that they could still celebrate Christmas.  

We were touched to get this feedback from one of the women staying with us:

“I’ve had a lovely time knowing that I’m in a safe place. The COVID restrictions have been hard. It would have been nice to all be together in the refuge for Christmas. Obviously, we couldn’t do that, but my baby had a lot of Christmas gifts and we feel so blessed and special in NIDAS.

“Being in a refuge has helped a lot knowing that me and my child are very safe, honestly I have no regrets. I’ve been going through depression, anxieties but I guess it’s all settling down now. Knowing that I will wake up to a message from someone who cares, and is asking me how I’m doing, means a lot.

“My plan for the future is taking good care of my daughter. I’m all she has and she’s looking up to me. I’ll do my best to give her all the best.”

Amy’s story

I would also like to share another customer’s story with you to give you the full picture of what life has been like. Amy** moved into the refuge during the pandemic, fleeing her ex-partner. Her children didn’t move with her, they remained in the care of their father. The NIDAS team worked with Amy to make it possible for her children to visit and sometimes stay overnight.

Amy worked part-time as a care assistant and was able to carry on working while she stayed with us. She was very independent and self-motivated during her time at NIDAS and always stayed positive, engaging well in regular support sessions with refuge colleagues. Amy also had support from the NIDAS children and young people’s team to make sure the relationship with her children was positive, even though they were living apart.

Amy contracted COVID-19 during her stay in NIDAS so found herself having to self-isolate in the refuge for two weeks. We kept in daily contact during her isolation to check her symptoms, her mental health, her basic needs and her general wellbeing. Colleagues shopped for essentials for Amy and provided new pyjamas, underwear and clothes to lift her spirits, as she couldn’t use the communal laundry areas.

I’m happy to report that Amy left the refuge just before Christmas, and moved into a three-bedroom new-build home with her children. This was a really successful move on story from the refuge, not only because Amy gained so much confidence and improved her self-esteem, but because she’s been properly reunited with her children. 

NIDAS continued to offer support as part of Amy’s resettlement plan. We provided Christmas gifts for her and the children, applied for grants so that she could redecorate her new home and donated duvets, bedding and soft furnishings. 

Staying positive

We know that times are tough for everyone as we live through the pandemic, so we’re working extra-hard to make time in the refuge as positive as possible for everyone that stays there. 

Remember the customer I quoted earlier? She’s told us she’s planning to start college to study health and social care, because she wants to give back “all the care and love you guys showed me”. What more could we ask? It’s seeing positive changes like this in the families that stay with us that make this so worthwhile.

** we’ve changed this lady’s name for privacy reasons