Support For Families Fleeing Domestic Abuse
Hackney Council has launched a new agreement with 20 housing associations to help support residents experiencing domestic abuse to stay in their homes, reports Inside Housing.
The scheme, believed to be the first of its kind, introduces a set of standards and guidelines to help social landlords safeguard victims of domestic abuse and prevent them from becoming homeless. Research by charity Refuge showed that 40% of women said domestic abuse was a contributory factor in them becoming homeless. Guidance could include practical measures such as changing the locks, installing a video doorbell, improving the security around windows, letterboxes and communal spaces, as well as breaking the joint tenancy agreement with the perpetrator. The protocol also advises landlords on working with partners, such as the local council and domestic abuse support agencies, to assist those at risk of harm and address the behaviour of those causing distress.
Susan Fajana-Thomas, cabinet member for community safety and regulatory services at Hackney Council, said: “No one should have to face becoming homeless to escape domestic abuse. We know that it’s highly disruptive to the lives of the victims and that it also isn’t an efficient way of managing our already stretched housing resources. This new protocol will help us overcome both these challenges by empowering social landlords to better safeguard residents and help remove the barriers to leaving an abusive relationship. At Hackney Council, our housing services have a duty of care to all of our tenants and we want to extend our ways of working across all social housing.”
The protocol was created by the Hackney Council’s Domestic Abuse Intervention Service, which last year received accreditation from the Domestic Abuse Housing Alliance due to its work to spot and support victims of domestic abuse. Clayeon McKenzie, cabinet member for housing services and resident participation at Hackney Council, said that “by extending our accredited set of standards to social landlords, I’m hopeful that we can give even more of our residents reassurance that they can raise any issues in confidence and get the help they need”.
Research published by Inside Housing in January revealed that more than 15,000 households fleeing domestic abuse across England were denied support at safe accommodation sites in 2022-23 due to lack of capacity, or an inability to meet the household’s needs. Figures published by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities found that 9,820 households were denied support at safe housing commissioned by local authorities due to capacity constraints. At the same time, a further 5,610 households were denied support because the provider could not meet their specific needs. The most common needs that providers could not meet were households with no recourse to public funds due to their immigration status, mental health support needs, and issues with family size or children’s ages.
