Coronavirus: Overwhelming majority of local councils in England delivered no extra housing for domestic abuse victims amid pandemic

The overwhelming majority of local councils in England delivered no extra housing for victims fleeing domestic abuse during the coronavirus crisis despite violence surging.

Frontline service providers have repeatedly raised concerns paths to safety were shut down for women cooped up at home with abusive partners during the public health crisis.

New data obtained by campaigners has now revealed almost three quarters of London borough councils delivered no extra accommodation for domestic abuse victims during the Covid-19 emergency.

While, outside of London, around six in ten local authorities across England delivered no additional housing for those fleeing abusers in the coronavirus pandemic.

Love and Power, a women’s rights campaign group which conducted Freedom of Information requests, said the findings show domestic abuse frontline services were “chaotic” and “dangerously threadbare” during the midst of the Covid-19 crisis.

Campaigners warned more women are at risk of being killed by abusive partners during the second wave of the coronavirus crisis if the government does not solve the shortage of places for victims to escape to.

Royal Greenwich in south east London responded to the Freedom of Information request saying no beds for domestic abuse victims were made available - with Croydon being the only response which said buildings which would have otherwise been left empty were used to cater for domestic abuse survivors.

Steph Maton, a researcher at Love and Power, said: "It's clear that there is a total lack of strategy in the government's approach to domestic abuse during Covid-19.

“Women are still not safe, even with further lockdowns now taking place, with those at risk clearly being left to deal with unimaginable circumstances. Women’s voices should be front and centre of this crisis and in response, we are launching a dedicated campaign training programme that helps communities identify key steps to apply pressure on their local authority to prioritise and protect domestic abuse survivors.”

Researchers found only 243 additional beds were delivered for women during the coronavirus crisis across England.

Hera Hussain, who set up an organisation called Chayn which delivers online services for domestic abuse and sexual violence victims, said: “It's sad to see that despite hearing from survivors again and again that they are desperate to leave and have nowhere to go, that enough space has not been provided for them. The message to survivors is clear: strong words, little action.”

Jess Phillips, Shadow Minister for Domestic Violence and Safeguarding, said the newly released figures “paint a grim national picture”.

The Labour MP added: “Not only has there been hardly any extra provision provided by local authorities, but there are clear instances of where it has been left unused.

"Currently, survivors need to jump through hoops to prove that they are vulnerable as a result of their abuse in order to access accommodation. The support system for victims is fundamentally broken and in need of a major overhaul before the domestic abuse bill comes into force.“

At the end of May, it emerged calls to the UK’s national domestic abuse helpline had risen by 66 per cent and visits to its website surged by 950 per cent since the start of the lockdown, while a report released by MPs at the end of April revealed domestic abuse killings in the first 21 days of lockdown were double the total of an average period in the last decade.

Refuges saw their funding decimated ahead of the coronavirus emergency - with local authority spending on refuges cut from £31.2m in 2010 to £23.9m in 2017.

Ellie Butt, of Refuge, the UK’s largest provider of shelters for domestic abuse victims, said: “During lockdown, earlier this year, calls to Refuge’s National Domestic Abuse Helpline rose significantly,  and we are prepared for this to continue into any new restrictions which may need to be introduced.

“What we know too, is that more funding needs to urgently be made available for the specialist services which Refuge and others provide, including sustainable, ring-fenced funding for emergency refuge accommodation. 

"The government has a real opportunity with the upcoming domestic abuse bill to really cement its commitment to addressing domestic abuse by implementing its promise to a legal duty to fund refuges, to ensure no women or child is turned away from that support that they need and deserve.”

Anyone who requires help or support can contact the National Domestic Abuse Helpline which is open 24/7 365 days per year on 0808 2000 247 or via their website https://www.nationaldahelpline.org.uk/