My brother left his wife about 2 years ago.
Due to the fact that they were married , she is entitled to a share in the house, regardless of whether she is contributing or not, needless to say a HomeMaker is a contributor in its own right, after all she looked after the kids while he worked. If she wants to remain their she needs to be able to show that she can keep paying the mortgage and will probably need to buy him out. The banks dont care once the money is being paid every month.
She is also entitled to weekly maintenance for both herself and the kids. My brother left his wife and all his problems behind him, her name was not on the house when they got married or when they separated and he never supported them when he left. She got the whole house as part of her maintenance package. It cost him dearly but she deserved it, she needed a home for her kids.