Tens of thousands of women in England are homeless, and 40% cite domestic abuse as a contributing factor. We cannot ignore this.
The full scale of this crisis is also likely being hidden. Only around 37% of domestic abuse cases are reported, and it often takes over six years for a woman to leave an abusive home.
Let me be clear: men experience domestic abuse too. But of the estimated 2.3 million people who experienced domestic abuse in the last year, 1.6 million were women. Women are more likely to be repeat victims, suffer serious injuries, and face a higher risk of being killed by their abuser. They also report higher levels of fear and coercive control.
Systemic inequalities make this worse. Women often aren’t believed when they report abuse, and with less than 2% of cases leading to conviction, it’s easy to see why so many feel trapped.
So how does domestic abuse lead to homelessness?
Financial dependency is a major factor. Many survivors rely economically on their abuser, making it difficult to access private rented housing due to poor credit or employment histories. And with over 1.3 million households on England’s social housing waiting list, the chances of finding a safe home are painfully slim and fleeing survivors often have nowhere to go.
This crisis deeply impacts children too. Government data shows a record 164,040 homeless children currently living in temporary accommodation.
It’s an insensitive myth that women will leave when things “get bad enough.” On average, it takes seven attempts and more than six years to leave for good. Many return due to financial insecurity, lack of housing, or fear. Other factors such as race, disability, and sexuality further complicate these challenges.
The relationship between domestic abuse and homelessness is complex and often cyclical. Some become homeless because of abuse; others enter abusive relationships to avoid homelessness. Many survivors become “hidden homeless,” sofa surfing or squatting, making it hard for support services to reach them.
Rates of domestic abuse often also spike around holidays due to financial pressure, alcohol, and social expectations. During these times, support services are harder to access, making it even more difficult for victims to seek help. Those forced to flee in winter face added challenges like cold-related health risks and worsened mental health.
So what can we do?
One solution is requiring perpetrators, not survivors, to leave the home. This promising approach has risks, however, as perpetrators still know where the survivor lives, and enforcement can be dangerous. The upcoming Crime and Policing Bill could help, by giving housing associations the power to evict individuals rather than whole households and this is certainly something worth exploring and would hopefully give more women confidence in coming forward.
At Places for People, we’ve also seen real success embedding trauma-informed approaches into our services. Since 2017, our Living Plus team has worked with organisations like Homeless Link to train staff and review policies through a trauma-informed lens. This has transformed how we support survivors.
However, trauma-informed care isn’t yet widely adopted. Barriers include unclear definitions, cultural resistance, and inconsistent training. Despite being low-cost to implement, it requires full commitment from the housing sector. Providers must prioritise staff training, policy reviews, and meaningful resident involvement.
We also need to make Housing First the default. Secure housing gives survivors a foundation to address other issues like trauma or addiction but scaling this approach is difficult due to limited affordable housing, resource constraints, and inconsistent political support. Government must invest in homes, long-term funding, and collaborative partnerships to make Housing First a reality.
Supported housing is another key part of the solution. While the Government has made progress on affordable homes, supported housing was missing from the recent Spending Review. That must change. Supported housing meets complex needs and is essential to solving homelessness.
There’s also huge power in simply doing good. At Places for People we go Beyond Homes and that means offering the support we can see people need. I’m really proud that we are supporting the Buddy Bag initiative which provides backpacks filled with essential items like toiletries, clothing, and comfort items such as books and teddy bears to children moving into emergency care, particularly those fleeing domestic abuse.
In conclusion, domestic abuse is a major, and often hidden, driver of homelessness among women and children. Tackling it requires a joined-up, trauma-informed, gender-sensitive response across housing, social care, and justice systems. With the right investment, policies, and cultural change, we can build safer, more supportive pathways out of abuse and into stable, secure homes.
You can hear more from Branwen Evans at Labour Housing Group’s fringe at Labour Party Conference in partnership with Places for People:Safe homes for survivors of domestic abuse – what does Labour need to do? (Tuesday 30th: 11:00 – 12:00, Arena Room – Kielder, Lower Level ACC Arena).