Northern Ireland Housing Executive launches Domestic Abuse Awareness Week

Northern Ireland Housing Executive has announced its first ever Domestic Abuse Awareness Week, to take place between 20th and 24th October, 2025.

A series of events will run throughout the week to raise awareness of domestic abuse, its connection with homelessness, support services and the work of NIHE and partners to support people affected by domestic abuse.

The week has been organised in collaboration with our lead partners, Women’s Aid, Men’s Advisory Project and the Police Service of Northern Ireland.

Housing Executive Chief Executive, Grainia Long, explained: “Our Domestic Abuse Team in the Housing Executive has been working to implement our Domestic Abuse Action Plan which was launched last year.

“One of the actions identified was the introduction of an annual week of events in collaboration with our voluntary, statutory and community sector partners.

“We believe this week will present an opportunity for people to join us in speaking out about domestic abuse and encourage anyone affected by domestic abuse to seek support. We hope that this week will become a fixture in annual calendars.”

A number of events will take place during the week:

Monday, 20th October, 6pm – Candlelight Vigil in Wallace Park, Lisburn

Tuesday, 21st October – Partner round table event, Twickenham House, Ballymena

Thursday, 23rd October, 1.30pm to 4.30pm – Pop-up Wellbeing Event, Fermanagh House, Enniskillen

Friday, 24th October – Panel discussion and coffee morning, Housing Centre, Belfast

Helen Walsh, Homeless Policy Manager, Domestic Abuse Lead, said: “The Candlelight Vigil in Wallace Park and the Pop-up Wellbeing Event in Fermanagh are open to the public and we are inviting people to come along and show their support and speak out about domestic abuse.

“Alongside our planned events we are working with pupils from St John the Baptist College, Portadown to design the cover page for our Domestic Abuse Toolkit. Our staff in the Housing Executive have also organised donation drives for Men’s Advisory Project and coffee mornings to raise money for Women’s Aid.

“In addition to our lead partners a number of other organisations have also provided support – The Rainbow Project, Hourglass, CRJI, The Rural Network, Disability Action, Inter Ethnic Forum Mid and East Antrim and Housing Rights. We are grateful for their collaboration and we look forward to a productive and meaningful week.”

Men’s Advisory Project CEO, Rhonda Lusty said: “As part of Domestic Abuse Awareness Week, the Men’s Advisory Project (MAP) wishes to extend heartfelt thanks to the Northern Ireland Housing Executive for recognising and supporting all victims of domestic abuse, including men and boys.

“Domestic abuse is a societal issue that affects people of every age, background, and gender. Current PSNI data shows that 33% of all reported victims are male, highlighting the significant number of men affected each year. Tragically, since 2020, 12 men and 2 boys have lost their lives as a result of domestic abuse in Northern Ireland.

“In addition, 14.18% of those presenting to the Housing Executive as homeless due to domestic abuse are men. MAP commends the Housing Executive for their sensitivity, compassion, and professionalism in responding to these men and their families, ensuring they are treated with dignity and understanding at an incredibly vulnerable time.

“Working together with the Housing Executive, we can build a strong network of support for all male victims and their families, ensuring every victim of domestic abuse is heard, believed, and supported.”

Sarah Mason, CEO, Women’s Aid Federation NI, added: “Women’s Aid across Northern Ireland welcome the NIHE Domestic Abuse Awareness week initiative as part of their overall Domestic Abuse Action Plan. Domestic Abuse within the home is one of the major causes of homelessness and the NIHE has been a major partner with Women’s Aid over the last 50 years in providing emergency refuge provision and outreach support, enabling families to remain within their home.

“In 2023/24 Women’s Aid services across NI received nearly 11,000 referrals to their services. In year 527 women and 291 children stayed in Women’s Aid refuges and 10 babies were born whilst their mother was in refuge. This is a vital provision that ultimately protects women, children and young people from further risk and harm. The provision of Floating Support, providing support to families whilst remaining within their home, saw 7,637 women and 5,293 children receive this support across the eight local Women’s Aid Groups.

“This week is a great opportunity to highlight the extent of domestic abuse in NI and raise awareness of this serious issue across all society.

PSNI Detective Chief Inspector Stephanie Finlay said: “We are committed to tackling domestic abuse in all its forms all year round. Domestic abuse is a pattern of controlling, coercive or violent behaviour that has a devastating impact and we are here to support those suffering.

“Anyone can sadly be a victim of domestic abuse, it is not specific to gender, sexual orientation or ethnicity. We know that there are still reporting barriers for victims and we are working with key partners to address these.

“It is crucial to understand the devastating link between domestic abuse and homelessness. Abusers often use financial control to leave victims with nowhere to go, forcing them to choose between remaining in an abusive relationship and becoming homeless. We are committed to working with our partners to break this cycle and provide safety for those in this situation.

“We urge anyone affected or anyone with concerns to please reach out. Don’t suffer in silence we are here to help.”

The 24-hour domestic and sexual abuse helpline is available on: 0808802141

To find out more about the Housing Executive’s Domestic Abuse Action Plan visit: https://bit.ly/DAActionPlan

Photo Caption: NIHE Domestic Abuse Team and Domestic Abuse Advocated pictured with: (Front row L-R) Clare Corkey, Men’s Advisory Project- Co-ordinator and Counsellor, Heather Woods, Women’s Aid- Modern Slavery Human Trafficking Team Lead and Detective Chief Inspector Stephanie Finlay, PSNI, at the launch of Domestic Abuse Awareness Week NI