Here's my situation, and any and all help would be wonderful...

I am a married woman with two small children (ages 6 and 3) living in Michigan. My husband has been emotionally, verbally and sometimes violently abusive (although there have been no documented cases). He is very controlling in that he will not give me access to any money (i.e. our bank account, credit cards, etc.), I am not allowed to see or talk to friends (and if I should choose to, he goes out of his way to say and do things that are inappropriate and eventually dissolve the situation). I have not worked in over two years because I cannot find adequate child care (he works midnights and goes to school and refuses to get up to watch the children while I work). I have horrible credit (we have paid off all of his debt, but mine has been left to the wayside, and my credit is unbelievably poor). We rent a house, and if I chose to leave I would have no place to go with my children (My mother lives in the area but she and my father have no room for my children and I). I want a divorce, or at least a separation, but I am afraid that I will not be able to make ends meet and provide for my children with the situation I have been left with. We will have no place to live, and I will have no income coming in (at least at first). I am afraid that if I choose to leave I will risk losing my children because I will not be able to provide for them with the circumstances I have been put in. I also have no money right now to pay for a lawyer. I was diagnosed as having bipolar disorder (depressive state) about 6 months ago. I have been on medication, never been hospitalized, and have always been completely stable. He has threatened numerous times to make sure that I do not get custody of my children because of this, as well as the fact that I have no means of income. I do not want to stay around this anymore for both my children's and my own sake, but I feel that I could not stand losing my children so it would be better just to stick around.

Are there places that can help me with housing and ways to care for my children? Do I have to worry about losing them because of the situation I have been put in? I don't know where to go for help or what to do. I just know that I don't want to be in this situation for any longer than I have to be. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.