Homeless Awareness Week: Catherine’s Story – Survivor of Domestic Abuse

Published: 9 October 2024

To mark Homeless Awareness Week 2024 the Council is highlighting the range of support services for anyone homeless or facing homelessness in Exeter.

Throughout the week a wide variety of content designed to help those who may be in housing need will be shared, as well as the stories of those who have experienced homelessness in Exeter.

Anyone can find themselves homeless at any time with a change in their circumstances like redundancy or relationship breakdown.

A dedicated team of officers at the Council work tirelessly, together with other agencies and the community and voluntary sector, to address the problem in Exeter.

In our video below Catherine, not her real name, explains how she and her young family have ended up in temporary accommodation in Exeter, after she was subjected to horrific domestic abuse from a former partner.

In the video her voice and identity have been disguised. But her powerful words highlight her struggle to break free from abuse and the support she has received to ensure she and her children are now in a safe space. 

View the video Catherine’s Story – Survivor of Domestic Abuse below.