Consultancy Perspective
Callyane Desroches, Head of Policy and Strategy
Thursday 27 March 2025
The Crime Survey for England and Wales estimated that 2.3 million people aged 16 and over experienced domestic abuse in the year ending March 2024. The 2021 Domestic Abuse Act aimed to address domestic abuse and hold statutory agencies accountable for supporting victims and survivors. Under this Act, local authorities must provide safe accommodation-based support.
As the tier one authority in London, the Greater London Authority (GLA) collaborates with the Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) to fulfill these responsibilities. In 2023, the GLA and MOPAC commissioned Crest Advisory to conduct a needs assessment to evaluate how demand and provision for safe accommodation-based support have changed since 2021. Our assessment focused on the needs of victims and survivors, service gaps, the impact of newly commissioned services, and the effects of COVID-19 and the cost-of-living crisis.
To develop this assessment, we analysed published and local data, engaged practitioners through interviews and focus groups with over 40 practitioners, and gathered insights from victims/ survivors via surveys and in-depth interviews. This blog summarises our key findings and recommendations (more details including our methods and who we engaged are in the full report which MOPAC has published here). We believe these may be of interest to other commissioners of criminal justice services and policymakers, both locally and nationally.
Key findings
We found that rates of police-recorded domestic abuse crimes in London have risen over the past three years, though they remain lower than in comparable force areas. During the same period, the number of households in London needing prevention or relief from homelessness due to domestic abuse increased by 15% between 2020/21 and 2022/23, indicating a growing demand for domestic abuse survivor accommodation-based support.
To access safe accommodation-based support for domestic abuse, victims and survivors first need to find safe accommodation. Therefore, we've focused our analysis on understanding the pathways to safe accommodation and how readily available it is. This approach helps us gauge the demand for support and shows how the availability of safe accommodation can either make it easier or more challenging to get the necessary support services.
Victims and survivors described their experiences of receiving safe accommodation and related support as generally positive, though some noted issues with accommodation quality and long-term access to counselling.
Service providers indicated a marked increase in both the volume and complexity of housing and domestic abuse victim/ survivor needs. This rise may be linked to long-term austerity measures that reduced early intervention services, alongside the impacts of COVID-19 and ongoing cost-of-living pressures. The minimum identified demand for safe accommodation and related support in London for 2022/23 was 11,472 referrals. However, this figure likely underestimates actual demand due to recording practices and missing data.
In 2022/23, 80% of referrals reported by Mayoral-commissioned domestic abuse safe accommodation services were successful. While this is promising, these figures only reflect Mayoral-commissioned services and may not capture all unmet demand. Nearly a third of unsuccessful referrals to Mayoral-commissioned domestic abuse safe accommodation were due to capacity issues, with a fifth unable to meet the specific needs of victims and survivors. Practitioners reported an increasing number of individuals with complex needs, highlighting the necessity for intensive, specialist, and long-lasting support.
Victims and survivors are also spending longer in safe accommodation due to the complexity of their needs and a lack of available move-on accommodation. This creates bottlenecks and decreases the availability of upstream support. Additionally, temporary accommodation is often overused to fill gaps in safe accommodation, leading to unsuitable conditions that hinder victims from receiving adequate support.
Three main challenges emerged in the Mayoral commissioning landscape: the definition of safe accommodation and the challenges in providing associated support when there is a dearth of safe accommodation, short funding cycles, and geographical disparities in provision. Many victims are placed in safe accommodation outside their local boroughs, complicating councils’ ability to predict demand for domestic abuse support and effectively commission local services.
Recommendations
To better support victims/ survivors, several key recommendations emerge from our needs assessment. We identified a pressing need to increase the number of refuge spaces available, as capacity remains the most significant barrier to successful referrals. Additional commissioning of suitable safe accommodation and support for families with more than two children or older male children is essential.
Furthermore, we found insufficient specialist provision for individuals with acute needs, particularly those facing severe mental health challenges. It is crucial to enhance support services by providing specialist provisions or incorporating specialists within general services. Collaborating with mental health and substance use specialists could improve the quality of safe accommodation, ensuring that victims receive the tailored support they require.
Our assessment also highlights the necessity for better preventative support and early intervention to address needs before they escalate. Extending funding cycles for all providers is vital to create stability and reduce turnover among staff, allowing for a more consistent delivery of services.
Additionally, we recommend that MOPAC and GLA explore multi-borough co-commissioning models to encourage all councils to invest in local domestic abuse safe accommodation and accommodation-based support, even if their local victims/survivors receive support elsewhere and if they accommodate demand from other boroughs. Joint commissioning of specialist provisions, such as acute mental health and substance use support, will help address geographical challenges in service delivery. Partnerships between statutory and voluntary agencies were found to improve in areas where staff received training through the Domestic Abuse Housing Alliance (DAHA) accreditation process.
To address housing provision, we recommend that MOPAC and GLA align housing and domestic abuse strategies more closely. Creating a business case aimed at improving the availability and quality of move-on and temporary accommodation is essential. This approach should also consider furthering sanctuary schemes, which can reduce the demand on traditional refuge spaces and offer victims options that may be more suitable for their circumstances. Continued collaboration to support rough sleepers affected by domestic abuse and advocacy for increased social and affordable housing will also be vital.
In addition, all partners involved in delivering safe accommodation and safe accommodation-based support should adopt a Whole Housing Approach (WHA), which is crucial for empowering victims/ survivors to remain in their own accommodation while perpetrators are relocated. This strategy allows victims/ survivors to stay in familiar surroundings, contributing to their sense of safety and stability. Prioritising the relocation of perpetrators rather than forcing survivors to leave can enhance resilience and recovery for those affected by domestic abuse.
Lastly, ongoing advocacy for the Government to update guidance on domestic abuse definitions and clearer support for those with insecure immigration status will ensure comprehensive, effective support for all victims and survivors.
Conclusion
MOPAC and the GLA have made significant strides in addressing domestic abuse accommodation needs. However, ongoing efforts are essential to ensure that all victims and survivors receive the support they need. Our findings highlight the importance of adapting services to meet evolving needs and addressing gaps in provision.
If you’re interested in learning more about this work or how Crest helps mayors, Police and Crime Commissioners and other commissioning authorities use their statutory obligations to innovate and improve services to tackle domestic abuse and violence against women and girls, please contact our experts callyane.desroches@crestadvisory.com and samantha.cunningham@crestadvisory.com
This work was delivered by Crest Advisory, including Callyane Desroches (Head of Policy and Strategy), Beth Mooney (Head of Research), Sarah Hibbert (Strategy and Insight Manager), Sophie Wilkinson (Senior Analyst), Nishat Rahman (Senior Quantitative Analyst), Alex Ranson (Analyst), Tara de Klerk (Analyst), and Helena Procopis (Junior Analyst).