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A government fund to support charities providing safe accommodation for domestic abuse survivors during the coronavirus crisis has been reopened, after the full £10m was not allocated in the first round.
The remaining £1.85m from the fund will be allocated on a rolling ‘first come, first served’ basis, with bids being accepted until the money is exhausted or until 20 July this year.
In the first round of bidding for the fund, which was launched at the start of May, the government allocated £8.15m to 147 service providers, including Refuge and several local Women’s Aid organisations, as well as a handful of housing associations.
Charities have warned that the lack of accommodation for domestic abuse survivors is forcing victims to stay trapped at home with their perpetrators during the coronavirus pandemic.
The funding is part of a wider £750m coronavirus funding package announced by chancellor Rishi Sunak in April.
The £750m package also included a £6m pot for homelessness charities, which has now been allocated.
A total of 132 charities across England have received a share of the funding, including Stonewall Housing in London and The Whitechapel Centre in Liverpool.
Announcing the allocations, homelessness minister Luke Hall said: “The staggering effort between councils and charities across the country has ensured that over 90% of rough sleepers known to councils at the start of the pandemic have been offered safe accommodation. This work has helped to protect thousands of lives.
“This money will help charities continue to support these people and ensure they are getting everything they need to prevent them from returning to a life on the streets so they can rebuild their lives once and for all.”
Rick Henderson, chief executive of Homeless Link, which managed the fund, said: “Homelessness charities that many vulnerable people rely upon have continued to provide invaluable support, despite being hard hit by the current public health crisis.
“This emergency funding will enable them to keep running their vital services, from specialist support for women, those experiencing domestic violence and young people, to providing hot meals or upskilling people experiencing homelessness – to name just a few.”
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