Victims of domestic violence need better access to social housing to avoid falling into homelessness, the Mercy Law Resource Centre has said in a new report.
The charity, which provides free legal advice and representation for people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless, published the report at a conference in Dublin on Tuesday.
Key findings of the report, Social Housing, Domestic Violence and the Public Sector Duty, include:
- Domestic violence is a leading cause of homelessness, particularly among women and people being housed in domestic violence refuges are not included in homeless figures
- Domestic violence can often result in individuals having to flee their homes and victims of domestic violence can face many issues in securing adequate alternative accommodation
- Barriers to accessing social housing include the lack of availability of social housing; aspects of the eligibility criteria for social housing supports such as “local connection”; and the complexities caused by applying for social housing without a formal separation
The report makes a number of recommendations to bring Ireland in line with the requirements of the Istanbul Convention, to which Ireland is a signatory, including increasing refuge places to the required level of one family place per 10,000 people; and considering procedures for local authorities to evaluate the housing needs of people entering refuges
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It also calls for legislative change including amending the Residential Tenancies Acts 2004 to 2022 to allow for a tenant’s name to be removed from the lease in the context of domestic abuse and/or relationship breakdown.
The report also finds that housing services need to be more responsive to the intersectionality of some victims of domestic violence such as migrants, members of minority groups including ethnic and racial minorities, the LGBTQI+ community, and those with physical or mental health disabilities or addiction issues.
These groups can face additional barriers to securing adequate housing when fleeing domestic violence, the report said.
Sinéad Gibney, chief commissioner of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission said the challenges facing victims and survivors of domestic violence in trying to access both emergency and social housing, “highlight the need for mainstreaming human rights and equality into policy development”.
“Housing authorities can make use of the ‘public sector duty’ in their response to the provision of emergency housing and long term social housing. This will mean ensuring that marginalised groups have a voice in policy development and decision-making processes and that policies are adequately aligned with human rights principles. These are more likely to be effective in addressing societal issues and promoting social wellbeing in the long run,” she said.