Some good news! "Plans to remove women's refuges from UK welfare system dropped"

[womensvoicesmatter]

A massive well done, to all the women involved in challenging this!

Survivors of domestic abuse will be able to continue to pay for places in women’s refuges through the welfare system, after the government ditched plans to overhaul funding for the life-saving accommodation.

The government announced plans last year to remove refuges and other forms of short-term supported housing from the welfare system.

The changes would have meant women fleeing abusive partners would not have been able to pay for the accommodation using housing benefit, the last guaranteed source of income available to refuges. On average, housing benefit makes up 53% of refuge funding.

But after concerted pressure from women’s rights campaigners and coverage of the proposals in the Guardian, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said on Thursday that all supported housing funding would be retained in the welfare system.

Katie Ghose, the chief executive of Women’s Aid, said: “Women’s Aid is delighted the government has listened and acted to keep refuge doors open for survivors of domestic abuse. Rent in refuges will continue to be funded through housing benefit. This will be warmly welcomed by survivors and our member services – housing benefit makes up, on average, around half of a refuge’s income.”

www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/aug/09/plans-to-remove-womens-refuges-from-uk-welfare-system-dropped?CMP=share_btn_tw

Good. It makes sense.

Finally some good news :-)

I can't believe they suggested it in the first place. It would have been immeasurably cruel to make women and children choose between homelessness and continuing to live in a house where they suffer abuse.

Although - to be fair, lots of women do have to make this choice already. But this would have made it much more commonplace than it already is.

Many women for whom there are marital assets even if not in their control are left without any help for housing - I have a friend stuck in the system as we speak - utterly desperate can't return to the family home, threat to have child removed if she does but no benefits of any sort avail or housing as she has assets - albeit frozen and not in her control.

We make it so hard for these people to leave homes where they are physcially, mentally, emotionally and financially abused it leaves a very sick feeling in my stomach. I am helping my friend deal with the day to day reality of it at the moment and wondering what they hell we can do about it long term to change things. Too many of us say thank Gods its not me and turn a blind eye

Goddess be praised!

Thank goodness for something positive!

Thank goodness, it must have been so stressful for women in shelters not knowing what the outcome would be.

Now all the Govt. need to do is fund the shelters in the first place