Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to support homelessness organisations to develop and deliver affordable housing and cross service support for survivors of domestic abuse.

This Government is committed to preventing homelessness due to domestic abuse and supporting victims where possible, as part of its ambitions to end homelessness and rough sleeping, and to halve violence against women and girls in a decade.

As set out in our National Plan to End Homelessness, we are developing a toolkit to support councils to prevent homelessness due to domestic abuse, including by helping survivors remain safely in their homes where this is appropriate and the victim’s choice, through sanctuary schemes with trauma-informed support.

Where remaining at home is not a safe and suitable option, Part 4 of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 requires Tier 1 local authorities in England to assess the need for, and commission, support for victims and their children in safe accommodation. We are providing £499 million from April 2026 to March 2029 to support councils to fulfil these duties.

MHCLG continues to work with local authorities and the domestic abuse sector to consider how the Part 4 duty interacts with wider housing duties.

The Government is also investing £39 billion through the 10-year Social and Affordable Homes Programme, through which we want to see increased supply of supported housing, including transitional housing for people experiencing homelessness or fleeing domestic abuse.