Daima lived in her home city her whole life, but when she met her ex-partner, her house became a place of fear instead of security. Living in a different part of the city, she was repeatedly subjected to domestic abuse. “My ex-partner would break in and physically abuse me, steal from me and threaten me. I had no privacy,” she recalls. “I didn’t feel safe there. I didn’t have happiness, safety or privacy because of the domestic violence.”
Everything began to change when Daima was offered a new home through Daizybell Homes, one of the Women in Safe Homes fund’s expert housing partners. Daizybell, a sister organisation of Bradford Rape Crisis, provides safe housing for women and girls in Bradford who are facing vulnerability, hardship or abuse. With the support of the fund, Daizybell has been able to create a portfolio of 30 family homes across the city, offering long-term stability to women and their children.
For Daima, that stability has been life-changing. “My new home has made a massive difference. I felt safe when I moved in,” she says. Now living in a new neighbourhood with her two young children, she is slowly rebuilding her life. Although unable to work due to ill health, she finally has what she had been missing for so long: safety, privacy and a fresh start. “I feel like I have safety and support in my new home. I now live in a good neighbourhood with my children. I don’t know where I would be without it, but it would be bad. Having a stable home to me means privacy and safety. My new home has helped me move on with my life away from domestic violence.”
She is proud of the environment she has been able to create for her family. “I am proud that I am maintaining a home and that my children are living happy, healthy lives away from toxic behaviour,” she says. Alongside the home, the ongoing support Daima receives has been just as important. “I have workers to check how I am doing and to speak to every week. They help me deal with the domestic violence and with things like benefits, grants, and moving on.”
Daima’s experience reflects the wider impact of the Women in Safe Homes fund, which, since its launch in 2020, has purchased 122 properties and housed more than 500 women and children across the UK. The fund was created to provide safe, affordable homes for women who have experienced domestic abuse, involvement in the criminal justice system, or trafficking and exploitation. By working with specialist housing partners like Daizybell, the fund combines safe housing with wraparound, trauma-informed support – something that is proving transformative.
Recent impact data shows that:
- 95% of women housed through the fund feel safe in their homes
- 92% report increased confidence, and,
- 91% say their homes have helped them recover from past experiences
For Daima, these statistics are lived reality. The combination of a safe, stable home and ongoing support has given her and her children the chance to begin again. Looking ahead, she feels hopeful. “I want to have my own place that is long term for me and my children.”
Over its lifetime, the Women in Safe Homes fund aims to house more than 2,300 women and children, helping families like Daima’s to rebuild their lives and create brighter futures.
