Domestic Violence Victims Struggling To Access Housing Support

A study carried out by the National Commission on Domestic and Sexual Violence and Multiple Disadvantage found that domestic violence was one of the primary causes of women’s homelessness. But the report said homelessness services were often “inappropriate for women’s needs”, giving examples of women who were placed in mixed complex needs hostels alongside men or people dependent on alcohol and substances. Women facing multiple disadvantages came up against particular problems, it found. Many women referred to what they described as ‘gatekeeping’ in housing departments, which prevented them from accessing immediate emergency accommodation. Download the report here