Statement on The Sanctuary Scheme Survey 2025
New research by Standing Together Against Domestic Abuse (STADA) and partners released today shows that while many councils are implementing schemes to help survivors of domestic abuse stay safe in their own homes - known as sanctuary schemes – only 60% of those responding to the survey said they had sufficient resources to deliver the scheme to a ‘great’ or ‘moderate’ extent. Elsewhere in the survey more than half said ‘advice on funding options and sustainability’ would help their delivery of the scheme.
Sanctuary schemes are an important part of a ‘Whole Housing Approach’ which gives victim/survivors of domestic abuse a range of options to keep safe, from moving to a different home, to removing the perpetrator from the home or physically securing the home to make it harder for a non-resident perpetrator to get in. Standing Together Against Domestic Abuse is calling for government to support all councils to deliver a Whole Housing Approach.
Speaking about the research which was done in partnership with the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government and the Local Government Association, CEO of STADA, Cherryl Henry Leach said:
“Many victims stay in dangerous homes because they lack the support they need to secure decent alternatives. The risk of harm can seem better than the certainty of disruption that comes with homelessness. It’s hard to maintain or build a new life - hold down a job, support your kids at school, get the continuity of medical care you need - while you're moving from one temporary place to the next.
Survivors need stability as well as safety. We should not be forcing them to choose between the two. Independent academic research shows that for every pound local authorities spend on offering domestic abuse survivors a full range of housing options as part of a 'Whole Housing Approach', £10 is saved to the public purse. Every local authority needs to be supported to offer this."
Fran, survivor:
“After fleeing my home on Boxing Day 2021, I had nowhere safe to go. My council property was in my name, but I was told I could not return because of the danger. I received no support from the police or social services about where I could live. Sanctuary locks were eventually fitted, but only after temporary accommodation was found so my children could stay with me. Even after securing a permanent home in 2023, getting the support I needed remained incredibly difficult. No survivor should be left without safe options or clear guidance.”
Keasha, survivor:
“As an immigrant woman experiencing domestic abuse, I was told I had ‘no recourse to public funds’. I didn’t understand what that meant, and there was no compassion or support. Less than a month later, he set the house on fire. I was left homeless and alone. No one checked on me, not even the police. I survived only because my employer let me stay at the hotel where I worked. It took years before I found proper support. Sanctuary and safety should be a right, not a privilege. No woman should be left to navigate this alone, especially those who don’t understand the system or have family here.”