Thousands fleeing domestic violence put up in squalid housing: lawyers
Lack of social housing and poor council decisions failing vulnerable in England, say lawyers
Thousands of vulnerable survivors of domestic violence in England are being housed in dirty and unsuitable accommodation, including dwellings overrun with mice and mould, holes in the floor and no electricity.
Housing lawyers and charities said a lack of social housing and poor council decisions meant women were increasingly being put in temporary accommodation that was not fit for purpose, putting them at risk of returning to the perpetrators of abuse.
“This is a widespread problem, it’s more of an issue in larger cities but is affecting people across the UK. Thousands of women are likely to be affected … It’s truly awful and horrific and it’s something we are coming across more and more,” said Derek Bernardi, a solicitor-advocate at the Camden Law Centre in north London.
“The problem is driven by a lack of social housing and affordable housing in general,” he added.
Bernardi said at least a couple of people a week came to his law firm to talk about housing disrepair.
The Guardian was shown around one woman’s house in north London that was infested with mice.
There were holes in the property, which was allocated to her by Haringey council, as well as problems with damp and mould.
The 36-year-old fled domestic violence with her two children and has been in the unsuitable property for two years.
Homes for Haringey, the council’s arms-length management organisation, said it initially did not realise she was a survivor of abuse when it first met her.
She said she did disclose this to Homes for Haringey before entering the property.
The council has just rehoused her, but she said the property had no electricity and that outside was an abandoned car with rubbish in it.
“My daughter got an ear infection in the old property, when she was six months, and I think it was because of the mouse droppings, they have nibbled through the cupboards and my children’s books,” she said. “It has been a nightmare.”
However, she was relieved to leave the place she has been for two years.
Her son struggled to sleep at that property because of mice running around in the roof above, she added.
A Haringey council spokeswoman said: “Concerns about the initial property were raised early this year, including issues with mice.
“Homes for Haringey arranged for the resident to be moved to alternative temporary accommodation as a priority.
“The resident has now moved into new accommodation and minor repairs were carried out to the property this week.”
Another survivor of domestic violence said that she was housed in a property where the toilet leaked into her bedroom.
“It took three months to fix,” she said.
The woman, who has anxiety and depression, said: “We should be treated like humans, not like animals … They sent me to see a place in a very scary area … I had a door in my bedroom without a window and I couldn’t open the door to get some fresh air.”
Bernardi said that the benefits cap and local housing allowances was resulting in women being housed in inappropriate properties.
“The higher the private market rents go, local housing allowances are frozen and there are fewer landlords willing to offer properties at lower rates. The ones who do are the ones who are not able to get market rate as the property tends to be in a bad condition,” he said.
The domestic violence bill aims to give local councils greater powers to protect and support survivors.
Launching a consultation in March, the then home secretary, Amber Rudd, and the justice secretary, David Gauke, said in a joint statement. “We are determined to ensure victims feel safe and supported, both to seek help and to rebuild their lives.”
The findings of the consultation, which closed in May, have yet to be made public.
A person who has become homeless as a result of domestic violence must be classed by the council as in priority need of housing and, under law, placed in accommodation that is suitable.
However, the housing lawyer Jane Pritchard said women often not knowing their rights and did not challenge poor decisions.
“Sometimes victims of abuse tolerate bad accommodation because they don’t want to be moved far away from the area they are from,” she said, adding that when they do go up against local authorities about the matter, they were often successful.
Bernardi said it was up to councils to decide what “suitable” means.
Pritchard said providing safe and suitable housing at the point of crisis is essential because it “could be the only time in life for them to escape”.
Bernardi said poor housing increased the likelihood of returning to the perpetrator.
Women’s Aid said a survey of some of the most vulnerable women it has supported, who were unable to access a refuge immediately, found 12% were forced to sleep rough before getting in touch.