You are viewing 1 of your 1 free articles
Domestic violence bill could be undermined by refuge funding plans, charity warns
A domestic violence charity has warned that government plans for changes to the funding of women’s refuges could undermine the aims of a bill that will give abuse victims lifetime tenancies.
As a government impact assessment was published into a bill to allow domestic violence victims to keep their lifetime tenancies so they are able to move away from their abuser, Katie Ghose, chief executive of Women’s Aid, warned that if the government goes ahead with its plan to give councils control over funding for women’s refuges then abuse victims “will be unable to escape domestic abuse in the first place”.
The Secure Tenancies (Victims of Domestic Abuse) Bill will allow domestic violence victims to keep their lifetime tenancies if they are forced to leave their home to escape an abuser. Lifetime tenancies were scrapped for most social housing tenants in the Housing and Planning Act, which passed into legislation in 2016, and replaced with fixed-term tenancies.
The bill was introduced to parliament last month and will have its second reading in the House of Lords next Tuesday.
READ MORE
Ms Ghose said while it is welcome that the government “has listened to our concerns and committed to ensuring that survivors can keep their lifetime tenancies”, the future of refuges “still hangs in the balance” due to government plans to give funding control to councils.
Women’s refuge and homelessness shelter providers have warned the government that giving councils control over the funding could create a postcode lottery, and that the policy fails to recognise that the majority of women fleeing abuse go to refuges that are outside of their local area.
Ms Ghose added: “Survivors need access to safe and secure housing not only to help them escape the abuse but also to help them recover and rebuild their lives. But if the government goes ahead with planned changes to refuge funding, which will remove refuges’ last secure form of funding, survivors will be unable to escape domestic abuse in the first place.
“That’s why we are urging the government to halt planned changes to refuge funding and work with us to create a long-term and sustainable funding model for a national network of refuges so that every woman and child can safely escape domestic abuse.”
The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) is currently consulting on its plans for supported housing funding until the end of January.
A DCLG spokesperson said: “Domestic abuse is a devastating crime and we’re taking action to make sure that no survivor is turned away from the support they need.
“Our new funding model will see all housing costs covered by a long-term ringfenced grant to be distributed by local authorities.
“Local authorities will also be required to assess the need for support for survivors of domestic abuse from both within and outside their local area.
“This means that survivors will no longer need to worry about paying their rent and accruing rent arrears at a difficult time in their lives and their entitlement to welfare benefits remains unchanged.”
