If you are in danger right now
999Can't talk — call and press 55
0808 2000 247Domestic abuse helpline, 24/7, interpreters available
116 123Samaritans, if things are hard and there is no one to talk to
Money and NRPF
“No recourse to public funds” — this line is on a great many visas, and it's the thing that most often keeps a woman locked in at home.
What NRPF means
No Universal Credit, no Housing Benefit, no homelessness help from the council, no place on the social housing waiting list.
What doesn't count as public funds and is therefore available
- Contribution-based payments: New-Style JSA, State Pension, Statutory Sick Pay, Maternity Allowance.
- Social services are not public funds.
- Registering with a GP and NHS emergency care.
- School for children.
Routes when you have NRPF
- MVDAC lifts NRPF for 3 months. Who qualifies — on the status page.
- Children Act 1989, s.17 — if you have a child: the council must support a “child in need”, and that support can include housing and living costs for the whole family. You request it through children's services; the assessment takes up to 45 working days, and in urgent cases you can ask for interim help straight away.
- Care Act 2014 — only where there are genuine care needs, not just a need for housing.
- Flexible Fund (Women's Aid): up to £500 to leave urgently, up to £2,500 to rebuild — through a specialist service, not directly.
The Flexible Fund amounts and the status of the SMV scheme (limited budget) should be rechecked every six months.