When I divorced, selling the house and moving to a different town was required. Not so much for financial reasons, but because my job was in a different town and I didn't want to be 35 miles away during the day, arrange long distance child-care, continue commuting for 1-2 hours every day, etc. I was so concerned about how it would affect my children, I nearly gave myself an ulcer worrying about it.
As it turned out, they thrived in the new place. It was much better for them than the old place. The new house, the new schools, everything was an improvement.
I think sometimes we put too much stock in the "house" and the "neighborhood" and the "school." Children thrive when they have a loving, stable atmosphere to live in. We adults get much more attached to the physical environment than they do. The sooner you extricate yourself from this man and his toxicity, the sooner your children will settle in and begin to thrive.
L