Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Homeless agony of domestic abuse victims
32% waiting 2yrs for safe place
THOUSANDS of women fleeing domestic abuse face agonising waits for council houses – despite laws that should put them at the head of the queue.
Some 32% of abuse survivors on local authority lists have waited at least two years, with just 17% offered homes after 12 months.
The shocking figures, obtained under Freedom of Information requests, come weeks after we revealed 80% of refuge centres face crippling staff shortages.
One woman, who has been on the housing register since February last year, said she felt “utterly helpless”.
The mum-of-one said: “When I first applied for a house I was told it would be between two weeks and a month, but we are still in a refuge over a year later.
“We’ve got one room, so my son is growing up with no freedom. I can’t begin to explain how sad I am. I cry every day.”
The 36-year-old, originally from Essex, said she often contacted the council for updates but rarely heard back.
She added: “It’s such a stress. The council hardly ever replies... and if they do it’s to ask for documents I’ve already provided.
ESCAPE
“We’ve come from a terrible abusive environment and it feels like we’re being abused by the system that is supposed to support us.”
A Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities spokesman said: “It is crucial that victims of domestic abuse get the support they need and have somewhere safe to stay – which is why social housing providers are required to prioritise victims if they need to escape abuse.”
Yet 6,310 domestic abuse survivors became homeless in 2021 and 68% said housing worries stopped them leaving sooner.
Those in Lewisham, South London, fared the worst with 242 left in limbo for 24 months or more. Surwat Sohail, who runs a women’s refuge in Birmingham, said “urgent action” is needed.
She added: “Women are staying longer with us, which means we’re forced to turn others away. The refuge environment is not ideal, as women and children have no privacy – it used to be an emergency provision only.”
Some 1.6 million Brits suffered domestic abuse in 2020, according to the Office for National Statistics, and police in England and Wales get an average 100 calls an hour about the blight.
Jess Phillips, Shadow Minister for Domestic Violence and Safeguarding, said: “I see countless women who are fleeing domestic abuse not being given the proper priority that the Domestic Abuse Bill legislated for. I’ve had to go to local authorities myself and argue that women are put on to the highest priority band. The Government needs to have a clear and targeted strategy to find women accommodation to move to after leaving refuge, otherwise they can easily end up in very dangerous situations.”
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities said it was consulting on “how we can give victims a better choice on where they rebuild their lives” and it would share the results in due course.
Countless women are not being given proper priority