Weymouth's women's refuge is to close

The safe haven in Weymouth has provided emergency shelter for more than 1,000 women and their children fleeing abusive partners.

Money used to fund the refuge will now be used to help both female and male victims of domestic violence in the community.

Dorset county councillor Brian Ellis, who was part of a group that set up the refuge in 1986, has slammed the decision and described it as ‘a step backwards’.

He said: “I have seen documentation that states that it will close and one of the reasons given is that it does not cater for men.

“It doesn’t make sense. The women who use the refuge are there because of what men have done to them and their children. There are other ways of helping male victims of domestic violence.

“When people suffer from domestic violence they need an escape route so it’s just incredible that this decision has been taken,” he said.

“I think it’s a step backwards by two decades – we should be seeking to improve services not going backwards.

“We need to think about the people that are affected in this – they need an immediate escape and that’s what’s being taken away.”

Supporters of the Weymouth Women’s Refuge have been left ‘shocked and stunned’ after news that funding shortages will force the refuge to close on March 31, 2010.

The bombshell move – by the Dorset Supporting People commissioning group – has also been met with frustration by councillors, social workers and refuge users.

The group is a partnership of Dorset County Council, all six district and borough councils, NHS Dorset and Dorset Probation.

At present the group funds three Dorset refuges with £82,780 spent annually to run the Weymouth refuge, £127,794 to a West Dorset refuge and £165,516 to a North Dorset refuge.

The changes will see the Dorset Supporting People Commissioning Group moving limited funds towards an expanded outreach service to support male and female domestic violence victims in the community.

In the last year, from July 1, 2008, until June 30, 2009, a total of 6,323 people have reported domestic violence to Dorset Police.

Supporting People manager for the county council, Anthony Wilsdon, said: “An assessment by the Dorset Domestic Violence Housing Group on behalf of the Supporting People Commissioning Group identified the need for a county-wide outreach service to support more people in their own homes, where it is safe to do.

“There is also the need to make support open to male victims and families with older male children as well as females.

“The task of the group is to use the limited funding available in the best possible way to meet the needs of vulnerable people across the whole county, and we feel this is the most beneficial use of funds.

“The outreach service will help many more Dorset people, and victims of domestic abuse seeking refuge accommodation will still have two refuges available to them in the county, along with others in Bournemouth or Poole.”

The women living in the refuge have been told and Stonham Housing Association, the provider of the refuge, is working to find the women alternative accommodation as well as trying to retain the expertise of the refuge staff.

Stonham area manager Beverly Williams said: “Domestic abuse affects thousands of people across Dorset.

“Over the 14 years that we’ve been running the Weymouth Refuge, we’ve helped more than 1,000 women and their children experiencing domestic abuse.

“However, we are increasingly aware that the refuge on its own can’t reach every woman that needs it, and there are male victims of domestic abuse who need our support, too.

“This is why we are supporting the creation of a countywide service for the people of Dorset, so that everyone in the county has access to the vital support they need.”

After hearing the news Coun Ellis said: “These concerns have been bubbling over for ages – now the decision has been made without going through the democratic process of the council.

“It has just been announced without the elected members who are the ones supposed to stick up for vulnerable people in the community.”

A domestic violence outreach worker, who did not wish to be named, said she was shocked to hear about the closure.

She said: “If there was a need for this 20 years ago then I can’t see why not now. As far as I am aware, they are always full and there are women constantly trying to get into a refuge like that.

“I just don’t understand the reasoning behind it – I am just completely shocked.

“I also don’t understand why these services keep being pulled from Weymouth – why us?”

Presently three workers at the Dorset Women’s Outreach Project work within the community and provide a vital service for the victims.