Asked by: Lord Bishop of Gloucester (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask His Majesty's Government how they intend to support refuges for victims of domestic violence to afford necessities such as utility bills, given the increased cost of living.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
Refuges provide vital services for victims of domestic abuse who need to flee their home. DLUHC is committed to the delivery of safe accommodation with support for all victims of domestic abuse, as part of the Government’s overall Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy.
The Government has put in place a number of energy assistance measures to provide support during the current cost of living crisis. We are working to ensure that domestic abuse sector providers are aware of, and able to take up, all energy assistance and advice available to them. We will monitor this carefully and work with partners on mitigating the impact of the cost of living crisis.
On 12 December the Minister for Housing & Homelessness announced two years of government funding - £127.3 million and £129.7 million for delivery of safe accommodation services in 2023/24 and 2024/25. This funding will enable local authorities to make longer term commissioning decisions and give certainty to local providers such as specialist domestic abuse refuges.