ao link
Twitter
Facebook
Linked In
Twitter
Facebook
Linked In

You are viewing 1 of your 1 free articles

Our project has shown that accommodation-based support for domestic abuse survivors can be powerfully effective

Southwark Council has been running an accommodation-based project for some years. Councils across the country will be required to set up similar projects under the Domestic Abuse Bill. Leanne Werner explains what the learning has been so far

Linked InTwitterFacebookeCard
Picture: Getty
Picture: Getty
Sharelines

An evaluation of @lb_southwark’s project has shown that accommodation-based support for domestic abuse survivors can be powerfully effective, says @LeanneLWerner #UKhousing

“We will continue to urge the government to provide funding to local authorities so that we can continue with this kind of life-changing provision,” says @LeanneLWerner #UKhousing

For survivors of domestic abuse, nowhere is more dangerous than home. That fact has been brought sharply into focus over this year, as lockdowns have ensured we spend more time in our homes than ever before.

Alarmingly, the pandemic has dramatically increased homelessness applications from those experiencing domestic abuse – up 40% on last year.

The provision of safe housing is vital in any response to domestic violence, as many women will understandably feel unable to escape from abusive situations without knowing that this is in place.

“We want local authorities to learn from the project so that they can get the best possible outcomes in their area”

At Southwark Council, we have been working to tackle the links between domestic abuse and homelessness for many years.

We take a holistic approach, with support systems embedded in all our services and threaded into many other areas of council work. This ensures that those in need can find the help they need to and get the right support.


READ MORE

Domestic abuse on the radarDomestic abuse on the radar
Let’s grasp the chance to transform support for domestic abuse survivorsLet’s grasp the chance to transform support for domestic abuse survivors
The Housing Podcast: what can social landlords do to help domestic abuse survivors?The Housing Podcast: what can social landlords do to help domestic abuse survivors?

Over the years we have been working in partnership with Solace, a leading violence against women and girls charity, to support this work.

This has included funding a full-time co-located Solace worker within our homelessness department and receiving bespoke specialist training from the charity on violence against women and girls.

Together with Solace and Commonweal Housing, we also run a housing project designed to support survivors of domestic abuse and their children. The Rhea project consists of eight self-contained, family-sized units located in Southwark and neighbouring boroughs.

An independent evaluation has now shown that close partnership working is integral to the success of this project, leading to improved referral pathways, appropriate referrals, smoother transition and better outcomes.

The findings of this evaluation are timely, as the much-anticipated Domestic Abuse Bill will soon be bringing forward an obligation on all local authorities in England to provide accommodation-based support for survivors of domestic abuse.

“One of the things noted as key in the evaluation is the inclusion of project participants in Band 2 priority for council housing. This ensures a smooth route to longer-term housing for survivors”

When the bill comes into force, local authorities across the country will be providing accommodation-based services for survivors of domestic abuse like the women and children Rhea houses. We want those local authorities to learn from the project so that they can get the best possible outcomes in their area.

As the evaluation has shown, our effective partnership means that we can more quickly identify and act on the needs of abused women in order to get them to safety. Survivors are identified and referred via Southwark Council and following placement the local authority processes the bidding for move-on housing.

One of the things noted as key in the evaluation is the inclusion of project participants in Band 2 priority for council housing. This ensures a smooth route to longer-term housing for survivors, ensuring stability for the future while freeing up spaces in the project for those who need it.

Southwark Council has taken the decision to take this measure forward, proposing to include it in its allocations policy.

“Interviews for the evaluation found that the project has improved outcomes for survivors’ well-being, empowerment, confidence and capacity for self-advocacy”

The project and partnership exist as a safety net, supporting women with the huge step forward to gaining independence from their abusers, free from the stress and ties of rent arrears, bidding and maintaining a property when there is so much else happening in their lives.

The impact is powerful. Interviews for the evaluation found the project has improved outcomes for survivors’ well-being, empowerment, confidence and capacity for self-advocacy. Wonderfully, it has also increased their ability to ‘hope and dream’ for the future.

These findings could not have come at a more urgent time. As we’re in another lockdown, experts are raising continued concerns about the safety and well-being of survivors during this time. We want those suffering to know that they need not isolate with their abusers, the rules do not apply in this situation and that the support is here for them.

The project evaluation from this work with Commonweal and Solace shows the success that can be achieved when the right resources are put in place and the whole system works together. We would encourage all local authorities looking to provide accommodation-based support for survivors of domestic abuse to heed the findings of this evaluation and consider how they might be able to implement the learning in their borough.

At Southwark, we will continue to urge the government to provide funding to local authorities so that we can continue with this kind of life-changing provision.

I want to thank Commonweal and Solace and all the staff at Southwark Council who have been involved in this ground-breaking work. We remain committed to prioritising the needs of domestic violence survivors through our housing team and to learning from this evaluation.

Leanne Werner, housing lead, Southwark Council

Linked InTwitterFacebookeCard
Add New Comment
You must be logged in to comment.