Housing: Domestic Abuse

(asked on 24th March 2022) - View Source

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what guidance he has produced on prioritising housing need and safe placement of (a) people who have experienced domestic violence and (b) other vulnerable people.


Answered by
Stuart Andrew Portrait
Stuart Andrew
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
This question was answered on 1st April 2022

In April 2021 the Domestic Abuse Act received Royal Assent. The Act extended priority need for homelessness assistance to eligible persons who are homeless as a result of being a victim of domestic abuse. A person may also be in priority need for homelessness assistance if they are vulnerable as a result of old age or mental illness for example. Guidance on how local authorities should exercise their homelessness functions is set out in the Homelessness Code of Guidance

In January 2022 we updated our statutory guidance for local authorities to improve access to social housing for victims of domestic abuse. The guidance makes clear that local authorities are expected not to apply residency tests for those victims who have fled to another district; sets out how they can give appropriate priority to victims; and encourages them to use their existing powers to support victims to remain safely in their homes if they choose to do so.

Furthermore, statutory allocations guidance for local authorities outlines how local authorities have the power to frame their allocation scheme to give additional priority to vulnerable people who fall within the statutory priority categories and have urgent housing needs.

In June 2020 we also published new statutory guidance for local authorities to improve access to social housing for members of the Armed Forces, veterans, and their families.

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