Domestic Abuse: Housing

(asked on 8th March 2021) - View Source

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of giving local authorities the option to place victims of domestic abuse and their children in close proximity to where they have been living.


Answered by
Eddie Hughes Portrait
Eddie Hughes
This question was answered on 15th March 2021

It is critical that victims of domestic abuse get support and especially when they are in housing need.

When a housing authority makes inquiries to determine whether a victim of domestic abuse is eligible for homelessness assistance and owed a duty under Part 7 of the Housing Act 1996, it may also make inquiries under section 184(2) to establish if an applicant has a local connection to the area.

An applicant can have a local connection to an area if; they are normally resident there, have been resident there in the past, are employed there, have family associations living there or due to any special circumstances. Therefore, victims of domestic abuse, who are homeless and eligible can approach the local authority in an area in which they have been living for homelessness assistance.

The Homelessness Code of Guidance is clear that a housing authority cannot refer an applicant to a housing authority if they or anyone who might reasonably be expected to reside with them would be at risk of violence and abuse. Therefore, it may be the case that a victim of domestic abuse is accommodated in a different local authority in order to ensure their safety.

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