Birmingham · Women-only safe homes
A safe home, and people who understand.
ODARA gives women and their children somewhere safe to live after domestic abuse, with a support worker who speaks their language and understands their faith and family. We are rooted in Birmingham’s South Asian and Muslim communities, and we welcome every woman.
Emergency
999If you can’t speak on a mobile, stay on the line and press 55 when asked.
24-hour helpline
0808 2000 247National Domestic Abuse Helpline, free and confidential.
Birmingham
0808 800 0028Birmingham & Solihull Women’s Aid, Mon–Fri 9.30am–5pm.
Talk to ODARA
0121 392 9499Leave a safe number and a safe time, and we’ll call you back.
What we do
Housing first. Then everything a woman needs to rebuild.
Safe homes
Furnished, women-only homes across Birmingham for women and children leaving abuse, plus move-on homes for the next step.
Our homes →Support to recover
A named key worker, safety planning, help with benefits, health, school places, court and immigration advice.
How we help →Community & prevention
Women’s forums and workshops across the city on safeguarding, online safety, hate crime and parenting.
Workshops →Care services
24-hour supported accommodation for adults with learning disabilities or mental health needs, and 16–18 step-down homes.
Care →How it works
From first call to a home of your own
Every woman’s path is different. This is what usually happens.
You get in touch
Call us, or ask a professional you trust to refer you. You can talk to us first without committing to anything.
We listen and assess
A support worker talks through your safety, your needs and your children’s needs, in your language.
We match you to a home
A women-only home that is safe for you, away from the person who hurt you.
Support every week
Your key worker meets you every week to work on safety, money, health, school and legal matters.
Moving on
When you’re ready, we help you move to a settled home, with support continuing if you need it.
Why ODARA
Specialist support that fits the woman, not the other way round.
Many women from our communities don’t reach mainstream services, or leave them early, because they don’t feel understood. ODARA was set up by women from these communities to close that gap.
- Women-only homes with a female key worker.
- Your language. Support in English and community languages, with an interpreter you don’t know when you need one.
- Faith and culture understood, including honour-based abuse, forced marriage and pressure from extended family.
- No judgement. We support women of every background, faith and none.
Why it matters
Domestic abuse is one of the biggest causes of homelessness in Birmingham
domestic abuse-related homeless presentations in Birmingham in 2022/23. 943 were women.
children in Birmingham have experienced domestic abuse at home
women in England and Wales experienced domestic abuse in the year to March 2025
of refused refuge referrals in England were turned away for lack of space
Sources: Birmingham Domestic Abuse Prevention Strategy 2024+; ONS, November 2025; Women’s Aid Annual Audit 2026. See the full case →
For Birmingham City Council and partners
ODARA’s women-only homes are at risk. Here is the case for keeping them.
Birmingham has a legal duty to provide support in safe accommodation, and its own strategy commits to enough provision for minoritised women. ODARA delivers exactly that, and needs commissioning to continue.