Overview

Next Link provides specialist domestic abuse services for women and children in Bristol including dedicated BME, South Asian and Somali services and a GP referral service.

We support women who are homeless, or have a history of sleeping rough or whose housing is at risk because of their mental health issues.

What we do

Accommodation

We have five safe houses / refuges in the city – one of which is a dedicated house for black and ethnic minority women and children.

In the safe houses / refuge we can house up to 28 families at any one time.

The housing is direct access and women and children can move in immediately and they can stay for up to six months. Where possible, when families move on, we offer resettlement support to enable them to settle into their new communities.

Resettlement and Tenancy Support

Resettlement support to families moving on from the safe houses / refuges and tenancy support to women whose tenancy is at risk because of domestic abuse.

Practical and emotional support is given to help families settle into their new home and to form a plan to keep them safe.

Help is given with:

• making grant applications,
• registering with a doctor 
• registering with schools or nurseries.

The support is offered for up to six months and is gradually withdrawn when the family is integrated into their community.

Crisis Response

Intensive crisis support for women and children who are threatened with homelessness because of domestic abuse.

This service responds the same day and will assist women to access emergency legal remedies to help her stay in her own home and extra security in the home to keep the family safe.

The worker will go with women to a solicitor and escort them to court.

When it is not safe to stay the worker will find safe housing accommodation within the city or outside of Bristol.

The support is offered for 4 weeks and then if appropriate the family is referred to the resettlement service.

Where we do it

For information on where and how to access these services, please contact the Bristol Next Link Team:

Email: enquiries@nextlinkhousing.co.uk

Post:
Next Link
Link House
5 Queen Square
Bristol
BS1 4JQ

Telephone: 0117 925 0680
Fax: 0117 929 3290

How to access

For information on where and how to access these services, please contact the Bristol Next Link Team:

Email: enquiries@nextlinkhousing.co.uk

Post:
Next Link
Link House
5 Queen Square
Bristol
BS1 4JQ

Telephone: 0117 925 0680
Fax: 0117 929 3290

Overview

These services prioritise the needs of the children who use our services and have either witnessed or experienced domestic abuse.

What we do

Children's Support

We provide a range of support including:

• one to one support,
• after school clubs,
• playschemes,
• help with enrolling in schools and nurseries,
• a dedicated resettlement worker to help children integrate into their new communities when they leave the safe house / refuge.

Our children’s workers reflect a wide cultural diversity and can offer culturally sensitive support and understanding and use play as a way of helping the children express some of the feelings they feel about their situation.

Family Support

We work in partnership with Bristol City Council’s ASB Family Support Project to provide a dedicated domestic abuse worker who can offer practical and emotional support to familieswho have suffered with domestic abuse.



Where we do it

To find out how and where you can access these services, please contact the Bristol Next Link Team:

Email: enquiries@nextlinkhousing.co.uk

Post:
Next Link
Link House
5 Queen Square
Bristol
BS1 4JQ

Telephone: 0117 925 0680
Fax: 0117 929 3290