High quality, supported, move-on accommodation for women and children fleeing domestic abuse in Bromley and Croydon.

Why Safer Futures?

One of the barriers to individuals moving out of emergency refuge accommodation is the lack of appropriate supported housing for those families that need longer-term support. There is currently a gap in provision of suitable, affordable move-on housing with support for women leaving refuge with ongoing low to medium support needs. Estimates based on service users having accessed refuge throughout 2018/19 show that approximately 20% of refuge service users would benefit from this type of accommodation when moving on from refuge, per year.

This project aims to free up emergency refuge spaces by increasing the capacity of move-on housing for survivors of domestic abuse with low and medium level support needs currently living in refuges across Bromley and Croydon; and who are ready to leave this type of provision but might otherwise not be in a position access the next stage of housing (i.e. long-term temporary accommodation).

The need for this type of provision was recognised by Homes England and the GLA who have set up a Move-on fund to encourage providers to increase this type of provision.

BCWA will add value to the existing housing provision in the borough and will alleviate pressures on the local authority to provide housing for families leaving refuge with ongoing support needs.

Women will be able to stay in this accommodation until their support needs are met, for up to two years. This will ensure that those women with the need for longer term support receive appropriate support until suitable long-term housing is secured and thereby reducing the risk of repeat victimisation as well as minimising the number of moves families have to make when leaving refuge.

How it will work

Referral pathway for women moving on from BCWA’s refuges after 6-9 months or referral from local authority housing department or refuges commission to other providers by the local authority.

The client is assisted to apply for housing benefit to cover the supported accommodation.

The properties will be “Exempt accommodation”, this is where the accommodation is provided by a landlord in the social or voluntary sector and the benefit claimant is provided with care, support or supervision by the landlord or by someone acting on the landlord’s behalf.

Exempt accommodation is a category of “specified accommodation”, usually referred to as Category 1 (of 4). Supported accommodation means accommodation in which the tenant or licensee receives care, support or supervision that is linked in some way to their accommodation: as a general rule, the tenant or licensee would not be living in the dwelling in the first place unless they needed the associated care, support or supervision.

Properties to be purchased and opened in staged process over a 22 month period, which is well underway with 5 properties purchased so far and 5 more currently in conveyancing.

Please contact housing@bcwa.org.uk for more information or visit their website https://www.bcwa.org.uk/safer-futures-project/