Women’s Aid responds to the Government’s Autumn Statement

Farah Nazeer, chief executive of Women’s Aid, comments: 

“At Women’s Aid we welcome the news in the Autumn Statement that an additional £2 million in funding will be made available to survivors of domestic abuse through the Home Office emergency fund. When we worked on the pilot of the fund in May this year with the Home Office, we saw immediately the impact this was having on survivors – over 75% of applicants used their grant to replace or purchase essential goods for themselves or children, after they had fled their abuser with nothing to their name. We will be speaking to our national network of member organisations about how survivors can access potentially lifesaving funds with this important continuation of funding.

 

 

We also welcome changes to address the economic impacts of domestic abuse and the update of benefits which were urgently needed for survivors, as they recover from trauma and rebuild their lives. Unfreezing the Local Housing Allowance is a vital change that will help survivors meet the increased costs of rent, during challenging times financially for so many.

 

 

We must also remember the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on our member organisations around the country, who are providing much-needed services with insecure, short-term funding. Lifesaving services including refuges, local helplines and outreach services need long-term investment to be sustainable. They provide huge value to communities, and save the lives of women and children fleeing abuse, many of whom have to travel to another area to be safe from the abuser.

 

 

As well as needing to fund services to save lives, there is a clear economic case for funding domestic abuse services. If the government committed to funding the £427 million per year needed for specialist domestic abuse services, our Women’s Aid research shows the domestic abuse sector could save the public purse as much as £23 billion a year.

 

 

Domestic abuse currently costs almost £78 billion per year, and for every £1 invested in domestic abuse services, our economic analysis projects there would be a saving of at least £9 – it makes sense from every perspective to sustainably fund specialist domestic abuse services.”