Source · Select Committees · Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee
Recommendation 1
1
Acknowledged
Paragraph: 31
An unknown but significant number of residents’ experiences of exempt accommodation are beyond disgraceful.
Conclusion
An unknown but significant number of residents’ experiences of exempt accommodation are beyond disgraceful. Taxpayers’ money is being spent on uncapped housing benefit on the understanding that residents, who are usually vulnerable, receive some care, support, or supervision—yet it is clear that some people’s situations actually deteriorate as a result of the shocking conditions in which they live. We heard of squalid environments, vermin, drug-taking, crime and abuse. We heard of people with a history of substance misuse being housed with drug dealers, and of survivors of domestic abuse being housed with perpetrators of such abuse. The support on offer is sometimes little more than a loaf of bread left on a table or a support worker shouting at the bottom of the stairs to check on residents.
Government Response Summary
The government acknowledges the need to protect vulnerable residents of exempt accommodation, highlighting existing duties on local authorities within the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, the national supported housing standards and will consider the interaction between licensing, national standards and Housing Benefit regulations.
Paragraph Reference:
31
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
16. It is indeed egregious that organisations with no expertise can target survivors of domestic abuse. That is why we introduced fully funded duties on local authorities within the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 for the provision of accommodation-based support. The government has provided support and assistance to victims of domestic abuse and their families, recognising the importance of access to safe accommodation in supporting this. 17. Local Authorities must commission enough of the right support to meet the needs of all survivors of domestic abuse and their children. They should ensure that support commissioned is delivered by knowledgeable and/or experienced specialist providers, charities, and other voluntary organisations whose purpose is to provide support to survivors of domestic abuse, as clearly set out in the Statutory Guidance. 18. Local Authorities are required to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of their domestic abuse safe accommodation strategies. They should monitor the quality of commissioned services in line with the domestic abuse standards listed in the Statutory Guidance including the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities’ (DLUHC) Quality Standards, Women’s Aid National Quality Standards, Imkaan Accredited Quality Standards, Male Domestic Abuse Network Service Standards and/or Domestic Abuse Housing Alliance (DAHA) Accreditation Framework for Housing Providers. 19. There are occasions where women will be housed in exempt accommodation services which are not listed as specialist domestic abuse services. It may be that a person fleeing domestic abuse has other care and/or support needs that are best met in specialist accommodation. It is important that people have a choice over where they live and can decide for themselves, with advice from professionals, what type of accommodation is best for them. As the Select Committee has highlighted, referral pathways into all types of supported housing are an important issue, and we will consider this as part our ongoing support of the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Bill. 20.T he recommendation also suggests that the Government’s Supported Housing Improvement Programme offers an opportunity to develop an evidence-based, ‘survivor-led’ model of exempt accommodation. Many expert domestic abuse services already provide excellent survivor-led models of exempt accommodation, for example, charities such as Refuge and members of Women’s Aid. 21. In instances where a provider is not directly commissioned by a local authority to provide domestic abuse support and accommodation, the measures outlined in the Bill are designed to combine to produce a more robust, safer system for all, including a set of National Supported Housing Standards that providers of supported housing must meet. 22.T he Government will consider the interaction between licensing, national standards for support and Housing Benefit regulations as detailed policy design continues after the Bill receives Royal Assent. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) will continue to look at changing Housing Benefit regulations to seek to define care, support, and supervision, as set out in the Governments’ announcement in March 2022. We will work with DWP to consider how the national standards for support can be linked with Housing Benefit.