Our Story

At Oasis Domestic Abuse Service, we believe everyone has the right to live free from fear, violence, and control. For over 30 years, we’ve been a lifeline for survivors, providing a safe home and life-saving resources to individuals and families across East Kent, North Kent, and Medway.

Our journey began in 1994, when a group of locals transformed an old hotel in Margate into a desperately needed safe haven for women and children fleeing abuse. Since then, we’ve grown and developed our service offer to meet the needs of survivors who have found their way to us.

Today, we are a trusted, region-wide organisation, delivering comprehensive support services that include accommodation, specialist counselling, court support, hospital support, and educational programmes and mentoring that empower adults and children of all ages to rebuild bright and independent futures after abuse.

As a community-focused organisation, we work to nurture understanding, promote healthy relationships, and inspire collective responsibility with those around us – in the workplace, at school, in our town halls, at the pub, next door, on social media – to help break the cycle of abuse, permanently.

So welcome, and thank you for being here.

It takes a village to end domestic abuse.

Learn more about our strategy

Taking children we support on outdoor adventures

Taking children we support on outdoor adventures

Training team delivering healthy relationship workshops to teenagers

Training team delivering healthy relationship workshops to teenagers

Our maintenance team and volunteers clearing a safe accommodation garden

Our maintenance team and volunteers clearing a safe accommodation garden

Local businesses fundraising for us as their Charity Of The Year

Local businesses fundraising for us as their Charity Of The Year

Our amazing boutique in Margate!

Our amazing bargain-filled boutique in Margate!

Our wonderful Board of Trustees

Our wonderful Board of Trustees

Danielle, our Domestic Abuse Parternship Specialist, with Kent Police officer

Danielle, our Domestic Abuse Parternship Specialist, with Kent Police officer

Making lemon and sugar pancakes with safe accommodation residents

Making lemon and sugar pancakes with safe accommodation residents

Anna, one of our brilliant Oasis shop volunteers

Anna, one of our brilliant Oasis shop volunteers

“We had the best day of our lives!” young client we took to Wildwood

“We had the best day of our lives!” young client we took to Wildwood

Tina locking the door of our first refuge in Margate, one last time in 2023

Tina locking the door of our first refuge in Margate, one last time in 2023

The weekly Oasis support group for current and former clients

The weekly Oasis support group for current and former clients

Letting hospital staff know we are there for them as well as for patients

Letting hospital staff know we are there for them as well as for patients

Literary fundraiser with local author Caitlin Davies

Literary fundraiser with local author Caitlin Davies

The key to a new beginning

The key to a new beginning

Food donations for our clients

Food donations available for our clients so they don’t go without

Legal conference (2)

Our legal conference in Canterbury

T shirt design by a young person we support

T shirt design by a young person we support

Our brilliant marathon runners fundraising for Oasis

Our brilliant marathon runners training to fundraise for Oasis

Our community cinema screening of Gaslight in Broadstairs

Our community cinema screening of Gaslight in Broadstairs

Domestic abuse workshop with refugee women

Domestic abuse workshop with refugee women

Beverley (our former Chair of Trustees), Jacqueline (Friends of Oasis) and Claire (our CEO)

Beverley (our former Chair of Trustees), Jacqueline (Friends of Oasis) and Claire (our CEO)

We deliver training for organisations to be domestic abuse aware

We deliver training for organisations to be domestic abuse aware

Teaching our safe accommodation residents how to sew

Teaching our safe housing residents how to sew

Dancing with hundreds of Kate Bush lookalikes in Margate to raise funds for Oasis

Dancing with hundreds of Kate Bush lookalikes in Margate to raise funds for Oasis

Filling a van with food and household items for our safe accommodation residents

Filling a van with food and household items for our safe accommodation residents

Our amazing volunteers and supporters after doing a supermarket sweep for Oasis

Our amazing volunteers and supporters after doing a supermarket sweep for Oasis

Canterbury Pride

Team Oasis at Canterbury Pride

We have hospital teams based at Medway Maritime in Gillingham, and QEQM in Margate

We have hospital teams based in Gillingham and in Margate

Media (13)

A couple of the young people we support through our BeYou service