Domestic Violence Victims Are Disappearing From Homeless Statistics

The latest figures from the Office of National Statistics show that 14,780 households in the UK were accepted by local authorities as being statutorily homeless between January and March 2016, an increase of 9% on the previous year. This is defined as a household that is unintentionally homeless and in a priority need category (such as having dependent children). But the government’s statistics only tell half of the story. According to official figures, domestic violence looks like it is decreasing. Despite the stories about refuges closing down and local authorities that lack the funds to provide a safe place to those fleeing domestic violence, there has been a 13% fall in the number of people accepted as homeless because of that reason since 2009. This is despite the incidence of homelessness continuing to rise in that period. Download the figures from the ONS website.