Domestic violence victims let down on housing, Jess Phillips warns

The safeguarding minister warned legislation to tackle violence against women and girls won’t be impactful unless there are sweeping changes at a grassroots level

Safeguarding minister Jess Phillips spoke about domestic abuse at the Labour Party conference (PA Archive)

Jess Phillips has warned local providers are not doing enough to ensure victims of domestic violence are prioritised on housing waiting lists.

The safeguarding minister said housing is the “biggest issue by a considerable country mile” when it comes to victims of domestic abuse in the UK, warning some allocators are “not playing their fundamental role” in ensuring there are safe places for survivors to live.

Her comments come a week after The Independent launched its campaign to raise £300,000 to build a haven for women escaping their abusive partners, which has received £70,000 in donations so far.

Be a brick, buy a brick and donate here or text BRICK to 70560 to donate £15

Ms Phillips said many domestic abuse survivors are waiting too long for housing (PA Archive)

The paper has joined forces with leading domestic abuse charity Refuge to raise money, as the current shortage of refuge houses has left women at risk of further abuse or being murdered by their partners.

The Labour MP for Birmingham Yardley also warned legislation to tackle violence against women and girls won’t be impactful unless there are sweeping changes at a grassroots level, citing the system of allocating housing to domestic abuse victims as an example.

Speaking at an event on the fringes of the Labour Party conference in Liverpool, she explained: “The reality is, we’ve lived for the last ten years in a legislation-heavy environment.

“I could have a brilliant violence against women and girls bill with all the amendments you’ve sent me in it, but it doesn’t make any difference.

“Legislation doesn’t make that much difference on the ground if the systems and the expectations of those systems to enact it aren’t changed.”

Ms Phillips warned local providers are not doing enough to ensure victims of domestic violence are prioritised on housing waiting lists (PA Archive)

The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 means that a person will now have priority for accommodation if they have become homeless as a result of domestic abuse.

But Ms Phillips said many local housing providers are not putting victims of domestic abuse in Band A, the highest priority category for housing.

She said: “In the Domestic Abuse bill we have legislation that says victims of domestic abuse must get priority for housing and get into Band A.

“If I got a pound for every time a victim of domestic violence didn’t get put into Band A…

“And nobody is there to assess whether that [policy] is getting enacted on the ground, whether they are actually getting priority.”

She also warned that, as a result of waiting lists for accommodation in local authorities, many people in Band A are still waiting years for housing.

Ms Phillips added: “When we’re talking about building council housing and when we think about housing, we have to make sure that this is never ever forgotten.”

Please donate now to the Brick by Brick campaign, launched by The Independent and charity Refuge, to help raise £300,000 to build a safe space for women where they can escape domestic abuse, rebuild their lives and make a new future.