A look inside the safe house The Independent will build

With help from generous readers, our campaign will fund a refuge for women and children escaping domestic violence

- MAYA OPPENHEIM

A chronic national shortage of refuges has left domestic abuse victims faced with a bleak choice when fleeing their partners: be pushed into homelessness, or return to their abuser to face further anguish.

This is why The Independent has launched its Brick by Brick campaign, in partnership with leading domestic abuse charity Refuge, to raise £300,000 and build a house for women escaping from abusive partners. So far, more than £100,000 has been raised by generous readers and celebrities.

Here is an inside look at what the house is expected to look like, including features that will allow a survivor and her children to rebuild their lives in safety.

What will the house look like?

The computer-generated images (CGI) are a portrayal of what the home will look like once it is built – stripping out any identifiable features to ensure that the refuge remains secret to protect survivors and their children. The images aim to give readers a sense of how homely, cosy and welcoming this property will be. It will allow a family to rebuild their lives until they find a new place to live.