Securing somewhere safe to live is one of the main issues that enable victims of domestic violence to turn their lives around. The IDeA examines how councils are working with partners to provide a range of housing and related services to help vulnerable women rebuild their lives.
St Mungo's in Lambeth
St Mungo's is London's largest homeless charity and offers semi-independent accommodation, specifically designed to help women safely exit sex work.
Women can stay for up to a couple of years in the sheltered accommodation. This has 24/7 access to a range of specialist staff, including those with knowledge of substance misuse and mental health.
The resource is funded by a range of partners including:
- London Borough of Lambeth Council, through its ‘Supporting People' budget
- the local primary care trust (PCT)
- the local drug and alcohol action team (DAAT)
- the police.
Cliff Dymond from St Mungo's says:
"This service is very much about changing behaviour by putting the client at the heart of the recovery process. For many this is the first time they have had a stable base from which to start to rebuild their lives."
He adds:
"Many of them have come from extremely vulnerable and dangerous situations. Often they were being physically abused as well as having a drug addiction which was being funded by sex work. There may only be a very small window of opportunity when women are able to change and look at the underlying reasons for being involved in prostitution. Our service gives us the flexibility to be able to respond to this."
Read Paula's story - how St Mungo's helped change the life of one vulnerable woman.
The Safe Exit scheme - Tower Hamlets
Safe Exit is a London project that works with women in prostitution and is based in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Ellen Armstrong is the coordinator of Safe Exit at Toynbee Hall. This is a partnership of organisations, including the local council. She says:
"Housing is often one of the main issues involved in street prostitution as the majority of women are homeless or have insecure housing such as staying on friend's sofas or being put up by punters.
"Many of these women are drug users and lead chaotic lives and find it difficult to find and keep accommodation."
One reason why women lose their accommodation is having short spells in prison. Safe Exit runs a scheme to divert women from the criminal justice system.
Armstrong adds:
"Women who are arrested for soliciting and loitering have got the opportunity to attend the scheme and their case will be dropped if they attend the appointments set up for them. This involves two interviews with a specialist worker who will carry out a needs assessment and then refer the woman onto other agencies including those providing accommodation."
Housing for Women in London
Liz Clarson runs Housing for Women in London, a housing association for women in London.
Clarson identifies the link between women offenders and domestic violence. She says:
"Up to half the women in prison have experienced violence at home. It is often one of the contributing factors in their offending behaviour. Domestic violence is also a major issue for local authorities. About 15 per cent of homeless acceptances are on the grounds of domestic violence."
As well as providing emergency and long-term accommodation, the housing association runs an outreach team working directly with women in the community who are experiencing domestic violence.
Clarson says:
"It can take a woman a long time to come to terms with the fact that she doesn't need to accept the abuse. On average she is beaten up 35 times before she goes for help. Maybe it is not safe to leave an abuser as it may trigger more abuse. There are also issues of not wanting to leave their home, job or the children's schools. We work with the women to help them come to the decisions that are right for them."
Housing for Women knows how important it is to ensure all staff, including board members, have training in domestic violence issues. Clarson says:
"When women come forward staff have to be alert and sensitive in their approach. Also they have to be very aware of confidentiality issues. For example, a perpetrator may get his mother to ring up and try and track down the woman."
Southwark Council's domestic violence strategy
The London Borough of Southwark has some of the highest rates of domestic violence in London. The council and the Safer Southwark Partnership have developed measures to tackle this serious issue. For example, it has a specific clause in its council tenancy agreements to allow it to repossess a house or flat if a tenant is found to be committing domestic violence.
Claire Linnane is Policy Manager overseeing the housing domestic violence strategy. She says:
"Our councillors wanted to be absolutely explicit that Southwark will not tolerate domestic violence in its housing stock. They wanted to be able to take action to tackle the perpetrator and not assume that the victim has to leave their home. The inclusion of a clause against domestic violence in the tenancy agreement sends out a strong deterrent message. The housing service works very closely with colleagues in Community Safety and other partners, such as the police, to effectively tackle domestic violence."
Sanctuary scheme
Where a woman wants to stay in her own home, the council and its partners can offer a sanctuary scheme. This funds a range of security measures, including panic alarms, locks and window grilles. In addition, the council funds a floating support service that offers women help with a range of different issues from finding alternative accommodation to legal advice.
However Linnane offers a word of caution on this.
"We not only have the highest level of domestic violence in London, we also have some of the most serious domestic crimes, so we have to be very cautious and consider all the risks involved in women staying in their own homes."
Women who need to leave their homes are offered two alternatives: the chance to live in a refuge outside the borough or one within it.
Linnane explains:
"By their very nature most refuges need to be anonymous and are therefore situated in a different borough. However this means the women are away from their social and support networks which can be very difficult for them.
"So we give women the option to move away or stay within the borough. We know it is quite possible that people will disclose the location of the local refuge, but we manage that risk positively and provide a high level of security."
East Riding's Domestic Violence Accommodation Project
The East Riding of Yorkshire is a rural county far removed from Southwark, but it too recognises that victims of domestic violence may want to stay in their communities. The council has developed an innovative project that draws on available council housing stock as temporary refuges.
"We have a number of individual refuge properties that have been furnished for victims of domestic violence to move into," says Liz Turnbull from East Riding Council.
"You couldn't hide a refuge away in our small market and seaside towns, so we have developed this system of individual homes dispersed around the county. If a house becomes compromised and identified as a refuge, it simply goes back into the housing stock and we get a new one."
She adds:
"We also offer floating support for people who choose to remain in their own home or community."
Four years ago the Domestic Violence Accommodation project had more than 500 referrals. This has now almost doubled as the service has become established. One of the keys to its success is the joined-up approach between housing officers and domestic violence staff. Turnbull says:
"A vulnerable individual may present themselves to either housing or domestic violence staff and if a housing and support need is identified a joint service is offered which appears seamless to the client."
She adds:
"We've had a number of colleagues visit from similar rural areas who are interested in the flexibility this approach offers both for the victims of domestic violence and the council. "
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Contacts
Cliff Dymond
St Mungo's
email: [email protected]
Ellen Armstrong
Safe Exit
email: [email protected]
Elizabeth Clarson
Housing for Women
email: [email protected]
Claire Linnane
London Borough of Southwark
email: [email protected]
Liz Turnbull
East Riding of Yorkshire Council
email: [email protected]