Recommendation 3

It is egregious that organisations with no expertise are able to target survivors of domestic abuse and their children and provide neither specialist support nor an appropriate or safe environment. Where a prospective resident of exempt accommodation is a survivor of domestic abuse, there must be a requirement that housing benefit is only paid to providers that have recognised expertise and meet the standards in Part 4 of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021. This must be implemented alongside increased supply of specialist services: the Government’s Supported Housing Improvement Programme offers an opportunity to develop an evidence-based, survivor-led model of exempt accommodation for survivors of domestic abuse and their children.