Introduction: Domestic violence and abuse (DVA) is one of the most widespread, persistent human rights violations and public health issues in the world today. For many women, leaving an abusive relationship can mean moving to a refuge. DVA refuges are a specialist support provision providing a place of temporary accommodation. However, despite their central role in the DVA sector, there is limited research exploring women’s experiences of living in a UK refuge. At a time when consecutive austerity measures have resulted in a shortfall of refuge spaces, this study seeks to contribute to the evidence base of this specialist support provision.
Method: Six women, living across two refuge sites in West Yorkshire, participated in a semi-structured interview designed to explore their experience of living there. Interview data was analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to gain an in-depth understanding of how women made sense of this time in their lives.
Results: The key findings of this study are presented using an ecological framework. This framework was used to highlight the various physical, social, cultural and political systems that women described influencing their experience in the refuge. At a time of significant destabilisation, they each shared how these multiple systems interacted to both establish and threaten a process of healing.
Discussion: The findings of this research provide a valuable insight into UK refuge provision from the perspective of women who have accessed this service. Through women’s descriptions of the multiple systemic factors that influenced their lives in the refuge, the utility of a trauma informed (TI) approach to service delivery was clearly highlighted. This finding has been used to consider wider implications for the UK DVA sector.
