Housing

Hampshire County Council has a duty under Part 4 of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 to provide accommodation-based domestic abuse support, also known as safe accommodation.

Refuge

We have 10 refuges across Hampshire offering 92 bed spaces for victims-survivors and their children.

The Hampshire refuges are shared, single gender or single sex accommodation (women only spaces) and victims-survivors will receive specialist domestic abuse support, either in groups or on a one-to-one basis, as well as peer support from other residents.

The specialist support is a planned and tailored package of therapeutic and practical support to help victims-survivors recover from the experience of domestic abuse.

The Hampshire Domestic Abuse Advice Line can help victims-survivors access refuge across Hampshire as well as nationally. There are over 500 refuges across the UK offering support to victims-survivors of domestic abuse and some of these can be accessed by male or trans-gender victims-survivors.

Dispersed safe accommodation

In Hampshire there are also several self-contained, safe accommodation units (known as dispersed safe accommodation) that may be more suitable for victim-survivors who are unable to stay in a refuge with communal spaces and/or where peer support from other residents may not be appropriate.

This may include:

• women with male children over 16
• male victims-survivors, including men with children
• LGBTQ+ victims-survivors
• older adults
• victims-survivors with disabilities
• large families
• victims-survivors facing multiple disadvantages
• victims-survivors with pets
• victims-survivors from diverse ethnic backgrounds facing cultural barriers

Victims-survivors accommodated in dispersed safe accommodation receive a planned and tailored package of therapeutic and practical support from specialist domestic abuse workers.

Sanctuary and target hardening

We have a team of specialist workers across Hampshire who can visit victim-survivors in their own homes and give safety advice and issue personal and home security equipment.

This service is only suitable for victims-survivors where the person causing harm and using abusive behaviour is not living at the same property. This allows people to remain in their own home, which is made safe and secure.

Safety planning

Regardless of the type of safe accommodation that a victim-survivor might need, all professionals and referrers working with an individual should make a safety plan and complete a risk assessment.

Domestic abuse risk assessment and safety planning is crucial in helping to deal with domestic abuse and keep people safe, and further information for professionals can be found in ‘Domestic abuse risk assessment, safety planning and referral pathways’ section.

Housing support for victims-survivors

As a professional working with victims-survivors you may also need to support an individual to get help with their housing options, alongside considering whether they need access to safe accommodation.

Each district and borough in Hampshire has a Housing Team who can provide advice and guidance on housing options if a person is threatened with homelessness as a result of domestic abuse. Each Housing Team also has a specialist domestic abuse worker.

Private rental sector landlords

As a private sector landlord you are likely to come across victims-survivors of domestic abuse and you may find yourself in a position where you spot signs that lead you to believe abuse is happening.

A tenant may even disclose abuse to you. Within your professional remit, it is possible to help and support victims-survivors, to enable them to maintain their tenancy and live safely. You can find further information about this issue in our leaflet ‘Domestic abuse guidance for private rental sector landlords’.

There is also further information available from the Domestic Abuse Housing Alliance (DAHA).

Social housing providers

Social housing providers will have a unique insight into the circumstances of their tenants which may lead to the belief that domestic abuse is happening. There may be specialist domestic abuse support workers within your teams who can provide a safe and effective response to victims-survivors in these circumstances.

It is also key to enable the wider workforce to respond appropriately if there is a suspicion of abuse and if a tenant discloses.  Further information for professionals working across the housing sector can be found through the Domestic Abuse Housing Alliance (DAHA).

All social housing providers should consider undertaking the Domestic Abuse Housing Alliance (DAHA) Accreditation which provides a benchmark for how housing providers should respond to domestic abuse.

Domestic Abuse Housing Alliance (DAHA) Accreditation

The DAHA Accreditation provides a framework for organisations to deliver safe and effective interventions in domestic abuse.

The accreditation includes 8 priority areas, which when implemented effectively will build in processes that help guide all staff in an organisation to adequately address the needs of victims-survivors and hold abusers to account.

DAHA Accreditation be achieved by organisations across the housing sector, including social housing providers and local authorities, and there is a new accreditation for organisations who are supporting people experiencing homelessness or require additional support to maintain their accommodation.

Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council and Winchester City Council are working towards achieving the accreditation.

For more information, visit the DAHA website.

Whole Housing Approach

The Hampshire Domestic Abuse Partnership Board has committed through the Safe Accommodation element of its Domestic Abuse Strategy 2023-25 to establish the most relevant principles and components of the Whole Housing Approach (WHA).

WHA is a framework for addressing the housing and safety needs of victims-survivors in a local area. It brings together all the main tenure types alongside housing options and support initiatives needed to help people experiencing domestic abuse to either maintain or access safe and stable housing. 

Alongside the safe accommodation offers that form part of the WHA model, HDAP is delivering other elements such as Flexible Funding and there are specialist domestic abuse advocates within local district and borough housing teams.