If you are experiencing domestic violence or are worried about a family member or friend, we urge you to take steps to stop it as soon as possible and as long as it is safe to do so. You can call us, speak to a member of our team or contact the local authority in your area.
If you think a crime has been committed or someone is in immediate danger, always dial 999.
How to spot domestic abuse
- Has someone tried to keep you from seeing your friends or family?
- Has someone prevented you from studying or going to work?
- Does someone constantly check up on you or follow you?
- Are you ever afraid of someone close to you?
- Does somebody constantly belittle or humiliate you, or regularly criticise or insult you?
- Do you feel like you’re constantly 'walking on eggshells'?
- Have you been forced into sex or to perform sexual acts you haven’t wanted to?
If you answered yes to one or more of the above questions, then you may be experiencing domestic abuse.
Where to go for support
- Help for women: The National Domestic Violence Helpline (0808 2000 247) is run by fully trained female support workers and volunteers. All calls are free and most will not show up on your phone bill (you can double check this with the team if you’re concerned).
- Help for men: The Men’s Advice Line (0808 801 0327) is a confidential helpline for men experiencing domestic violence from a partner, ex-partner or family member. Calls are free and do not appear on itemised bills.
- VOICES at the Domestic Abuse Commissioner's Office (DAC): This is a virtual platform for victims and survivors of domestic abuse. They don't provide any direct support, however it aims to give victims and survivors opportunities to share their experiences. They send out newsletters and emails sharing survivor engagement stories and relevant news from across domestic abuse policy, practice and research. Click here to find out more.
- Help for any victim of crime: Victim Support, the national charity for crime victims.
- Help for LGBTQ+ people: Galop is an anti-violence charity for the LGBTQ+ community combating hate crime, sexual violence and domestic abuse. You can call them on 0800 999 5428.
- Are you concerned about your own abusive behaviour and need support? Call Respect on 0808 802 4040. Calls to this number are free and do not appear on itemised bills.
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How to report abuse taking place in a Futures home
Please contact our Customer Services team on 0300 456 2531 during office hours or send an email to talkto@futureshg.co.uk. Just leave your details and how and when you'd like to be contacted and a neighbourhood officer will call you back within one working day.
Please remember to ring 999 as soon as possible if you or someone close to you is in danger.
Our pledge to Make a Stand
We have pledged to tackle domestic abuse in partnership with the Chartered Institute of Housing, Women's Aid and Daha. As a housing association, we house and employ thousands of people which means that we need to make a stand and support our customer and our own people.
The pledge gives housing associations the opportunity to sign up to make four focused commitments to support people experiencing domestic abuse. We have committed to doing the following:
- Put in place and embed a policy to support residents who are affected by domestic abuse.
- Make information about national and local domestic abuse support services available on our website and in other appropriate places so that they are accessible for residents and staff.
- Put in place an HR policy, or amend an existing policy, to support members of staff who may be experiencing domestic abuse.
- Appoint a champion at a senior level in our organisation to own the activity we are doing to support people experiencing domestic abuse.
- We are also committed to training our staff to raise awareness of domestic abuse and how we should deal with it, along with regularly providing support from partner organisations.
