Friend fleeing domestic violence in Belgium, what options does she have?

Hi everyone,

I'm posting on behalf of a friend. I've never lived in Belgium, so I have no idea how the system works there. Also, if my post doesn't fit this subreddit, please tell me where else I can post.

She is a foreign citizen living in East Flanders. She fled her partner because of ongoing domestic violence involving both him and his mother. The abuse started in their home country and continued after they moved to Belgium.

She has two children under the age of 6, one of whom has a disability. When she fled, she left the children with their father and grandmother because she had to leave urgently. The children are not directly abused, and their grandmother takes care of them. According to my friend, he spends much of his salary and the child's disability benefits on alcohol.

She has been staying in a CAW crisis center for about a week. They've explained that it's only short-term accommodation and not a domestic violence shelter, so she'll have to leave soon. She has no job, no income, barely speaks any English, and has no family or support network in Belgium.

She has already reported her mother-in-law to the police. Her ex-partner came to the CAW crisis center and spoke with the staff. My friend and her ex-partner agreed that the children would stay with him because he didn't want them living in a shelter.

The CAW workers told her that she either goes back "home" until they find her housing or find somewhere else to stay on her own. If she does go back to the abusers, I'm afraid they'll completely lock her up as a punishment for fleeing and going to the police.

My questions are:

- Is there a domestic violence refuge in East Flanders that accepts women in her situation?

- Can she stay in a shelter for 1-2 months until she finds a job and becomes more independent?

-Does anyone have a useful suggestion?

If something doesn't make sense, I'm more than happy to answer any questions.

Any advice from people familiar with the Belgian system would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.