A Campaign for “Georgia’s Law” Sign the petition here.

Leaving should not mean homelessness

On Saturday 17 October 2026, Lace & Blades will mark the first Safe Exit Day, a national day of activism created to expose one of the most dangerous failures facing victim-survivors of domestic abuse.

We tell women to leave.

We tell them to recognise the warning signs, make a safety plan, contact the police, pack a bag and find the courage to walk away.

What we speak about far less is what happens after she reaches the door.

Leaving an abusive person does not automatically lead to safety. For many women, it leads to homelessness applications, unaffordable refuge fees, temporary accommodation, unsuitable placements, long waiting lists and decisions made according to income, housing stock or postcode rather than the level of danger they are facing.

A woman may have escaped the person harming her, yet still remain trapped by a system that cannot move quickly enough to protect her.

Safe Exit Day exists because escape should lead somewhere safe.

Why 17 October?

October is Domestic Abuse Awareness Month, a time when organisations, campaigners and survivors work to increase public understanding of domestic abuse and the many barriers victims face when trying to leave.

Safe Exit Day will take place on 17 October, at the heart of the month, because awareness must be followed by action.

It is no longer enough to tell women to leave without confronting the systems that determine whether they have anywhere safe to go.

The date also coincides with the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, an important reminder that financial insecurity, housing inequality and economic abuse can all prevent a woman from escaping safely.

Some victim-survivors remain because they cannot afford to leave.

Others leave and find themselves expected to surrender their employment, savings, stability or independence before meaningful support becomes available.

Safety should never be reserved for those who can afford it.

The meaning behind the key and ribbon

The symbol of Safe Exit Day is a key tied with a burgundy ribbon or piece of lace.

The key represents the safe home every victim-survivor should be able to reach.

The ribbon represents the courage, dignity and lives of those who have escaped, those who are still trying to leave and those who were failed before safety arrived.

It is a simple symbol carrying a serious message.

A woman should not have to choose between remaining with an abuser and becoming homeless.

Why Georgia’s Law is needed

Georgia’s Law calls for high-risk housing cases involving domestic abuse, sexual violence, stalking and serious intimidation to be treated as safeguarding emergencies rather than routine housing applications.

The campaign asks for decisions to be based on risk, not income, employment status or postcode.

It calls for urgent relocation within days rather than months, meaningful cooperation between local authorities and an end to the use of accommodation that leaves a victim-survivor exposed, isolated or easily located.

Housing is not separate from victim safety.

Housing is often the difference between escape and return, protection and continued risk, rebuilding a life and being forced back into the circumstances from which a woman fled.

Delay is not neutral.

Every day spent waiting for a safe placement can be another day of fear, surveillance, financial pressure and vulnerability.

Safe Exit Day will bring that reality into public view.

Take part in Safe Exit Day

Download your poster here.

On Saturday 17 October 2026, we are asking individuals, organisations, businesses, charities and public bodies to take part.

Tie a burgundy ribbon, strip of lace or fabric around a key.

Photograph it with the words:

I am holding a key for the woman who was brave enough to leave, but had nowhere safe to go.

Post your photograph at 12 noon and help fill social media with the symbol of a safe exit.

Use the hashtags:

#SafeExitDay

#GeorgiasLaw

#LeavingShouldNotMeanHomelessness

#DelayIsNotNeutral

#LaceAndBlades

Share the Georgia’s Law campaign page, speak about the housing barriers facing victim-survivors and ask your local representatives whether they support the principle that urgent risk must lead to urgent protection.

Schools, workplaces, bookshops, community groups, housing organisations, charities and public services can also display the Safe Exit Day poster and encourage others to take part.

The Safe Exit Day pledge

I support Georgia’s Law and the principle that no victim-survivor should be forced to choose between remaining with an abuser and becoming homeless.

High-risk housing cases must be treated as safeguarding emergencies, with safety and risk placed above income, employment status and postcode.

This is more than awareness

Safe Exit Day is not about creating another date on the calendar.

It is about creating pressure.

It is about asking why the state can recognise danger, document danger and discuss danger, yet still leave a woman waiting for somewhere safe to live.

It is about challenging a system that praises women for leaving while offering them no secure destination.

Most of all, it is about refusing to accept that homelessness, poverty or unsafe temporary accommodation are reasonable consequences of escaping abuse.

We have spent years telling women to leave.

On 17 October, we will ask whether the system has built anywhere safe for them to go.

Hold the key. Share the message. Support Georgia’s Law.

Leaving should not mean homelessness.