Lisa Hilder, social entrepreneur, feminist and founder of Preston Road Women's Centre and Affordable Justice, reacts to the latest announcement from the government of a £2 million ‘flee fund' for victims of domestic abuse.
Why the £2 million domestic abuse flee fund is just another gimmick
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/domestic-abuse-victims-given-fresh-support-to-escape-abuse
While the dog whistle response to the government's announcement of a £2 million ‘flee fund' for victims of domestic abuse should be one of applause, the fact of the matter is that this is just a gimmick that is barely a sticking plaster over the measures that are truly needed to make a real difference.
There is no denying that the £2500 sounds like a great opportunity to facilitate an escape from often terrifying domestic situations. But a few quid for food and nappies is a million miles away from addressing the real problems - the biggest of which is the severe lack of housing.
Consider this - there are nine animal sanctuary places in the UK for every one woman's refuge place. Distressed animals are better served in the UK than distressed women and children, despite the millions of pounds that have been invested in domestic abuse over the last few decades.
For this reason, the latest £2 million announced by the government will not even scratch the surface of what is really needed to help these women.
The National Domestic Abuse Helpline was contacted 171,490 times in the year ending March 2023. There are just under 4,400 refuge bed spaces in the UK - 22.2% below the minimum number of refuge bed spaces recommended by the Council of Europe.
Where are all these women clutching their £2500 meant to go? £2 million will help a few hundred women at the very best. And then what?
Even if they do manage to escape - where to? They are still faced with the serious housing shortage in the UK, and the intense competition to be rehoused. That £2500 is going to burn a hole in their pockets until they can actually find somewhere permanent to rent.
The numbers simply do not add up. What is needed is a real and systematic investment in transitional supported housing for women where they can recover, recalibrate and rebuild their lives.
Having been involved in helping women fleeing from domestic abuse for the last couple of decades, I sincerely wish I could applaud this latest endeavour - but I fear it is only kicking the real issues further down the road. We are approaching a general election. Is it a sweetener, a box ticking exercise? Or am I just being cynical?
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Lisa Hilder has 25 years of experience as a charity trustee and social entrepreneur, with experience as a senior manager and strategic service planner for the NHS. As a committed feminist activist Lisa helped to co-found both the Preston Road Women's Centre in Hull and Affordable Justice. Lisa's particular skills lie in collaborating on social investment projects, allocating funds for maximum return and benefit. When Lisa is not working to support, improve and help the circumstances for vulnerable women, she can most likely be found in the cinema, or at the theatre.
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