Hackney introduces UK’s first protocol to reduce domestic abuse-related homelessness
Hackney social housing providers will support residents experiencing domestic abuse to stay in their homes with practical help from landlords as part of a new agreement between more than 20 of Hackney’s social housing providers.
The first of its kind in the UK, the new policy introduces a set of standards and guidelines to help social landlords safeguard victims of domestic abuse and prevent them from becoming homeless. This could include practical measures such as changing the locks, installing a video doorbell, improving the security around windows, letterboxes and communal spaces, as well as breaking the joint tenancy agreement with the perpetrator.
Research from Refuge, the domestic abuse charity, has shown that 40% of women who are homeless said that domestic abuse was a contributory factor to their homelessness.
The protocol provides guidance on how social landlords can work with partners, including the Council and other domestic abuse support agencies, to help tenants at risk of harm and address the behaviour of those causing harm. This partnership approach aims to increase collaboration between housing providers and manage housing resources in the borough more efficiently.
It has been created by Hackney Council’s Domestic Abuse Intervention Service, who already work closely with Housing Services to safeguard tenants living in Council homes from domestic abuse. Last year, Hackney Council received the prestigious Domestic Abuse Housing Alliance (DAHA) accreditation in recognition of their work to spot and support victims of domestic abuse.
The protocol is launching Thursday 7 March, ahead of International Women’s Day, with an online event for professionals within the domestic abuse and housing sectors. Hackney’s Domestic Abuse Intervention Service will give an overview of the new protocol and their commitment to ending domestic abuse in Hackney, with contributions from partners who worked on the project.
No one should have to face becoming homeless to escape domestic abuse. We know that it’s highly disruptive to the lives of the victims and that it also isn’t an efficient way of managing our already stretched housing resources.
This new protocol will help us overcome both these challenges by empowering social landlords to better safeguard residents and help remove the barriers to leaving an abusive relationship. At Hackney Council, our Housing Services have a duty of care to all of our tenants and we want to extend our ways of working across all social housing.
We want everyone to be able to feel safe and secure at home in Hackney.
By extending our accredited set of standards to social landlords, I’m hopeful that we can give even more of our residents reassurance that they can raise any issues in confidence and get the help they need.