The Assistant Director of Housing has authorised the commencement of a procurement exercise to seek a provider to deliver a supported housing service for victims of domestic abuse with complex needs on the basis of a 2 year contract

Homeless applicants have a priority need for accommodation if they have become homeless due to being a victim of domestic abuse, meaning the Council has a duty to secure appropriate accommodate for them.

Additionally, Part 4 of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 places duties on the Council to ensure victims of domestic abuse have access to the right accommodation-based support, referred to as ‘safe accommodation’.

In Wirral, the principal ‘Safe Accommodation’ Service commissioned by the Council is the Refuge which provides accommodation with intensive support to enable up to 12 women and their children to escape their abuser and begin the process of rebuilding their lives.

Often single people experiencing domestic abuse can have a wide range of complex support needs, often because of the abuse they have experienced or exacerbated by the abuse. These can manifest as issues around substance misuse, mental health problems and/or offending behaviour.

While the Refuge will endeavour to work with all victims of domestic abuse, increasing numbers of victims now present with levels of risk linked to their complex needs which cannot be safely managed within the refuge setting, especially given the presence of children.

As such, Wirral’s Safe Accommodation Strategy 2021-2024 identified that there is a gap in provision for this profile of domestic abuse victim.

It is therefore proposed to commence a procurement exercise for the provision of a supported housing service for single female victims of domestic abuse with complex support needs.

The proposed contract for this provision would be awarded on an initial 2-year basis. The maximum available financial envelope to fund this activity will be £210,000 for Year 1, and £220,500 for Year 2, with a cumulative value of £430,500. This will be funded from re-purposed ring-fenced MHCLG Domestic Abuse Act ‘New Burdens’ funding to meet Safe Accommodation requirements. This grant has conditions attached that restricts its usage to funding revenue-only projects associated with addressing gaps in housing/support provision for domestic abuse victims. As such, this proposal surrounds the funding of the support element only, with housing costs for eligible rents and service charges to be met through Housing Benefit payments.

The Service will comprise 10 units (bed spaces) and be a combination of long, medium and assessment beds to reflect the range of presenting support needs
Somebody with several complex needs and who is not engaged with drug treatment or mental health services may require a longer stay within the service and will therefore be placed in a long-term placement, as opposed to someone who is engaged and managing well with statutory services may only require a shorter service duration and be placed in a medium-term bed. The provision of an assessment bed will enable emergency placements to be made whilst someone’s needs are fully assessed but can be supported before determining the best pathway route.

The alternative to procuring a safe accommodation service for domestic abuse victims with complex needs is to decide not to commission a dedicated service for this profile of victim. This has been discounted for several reasons:

• It is a statutory requirement for the Council to assess the needs and develop a strategy which sets out its local response to providing support within safe accommodation and plans to ensure the provision of support for victims and their children. The Council is also legally required to give effect to this strategy. The Council’s Wirral’s Safe Accommodation Strategy 2021-2024 has identified provision of safe accommodation for victims of domestic abuse with complex needs, as a gap in provision.

• The failure to provide appropriate accommodation and support options would place the Council in breach of its statutory obligations.

• If, due to risk issues associated with their complex needs, the Refuge is unable to safely accommodate a victim of domestic abuse, then the responsibility of providing accommodation and support would rest with the Council. Due to the definition of ‘safe accommodation’ the only available option to the Council would be to place someone in temporary accommodation with visiting specialist domestic abuse support. The cost associated with this would be significant and is not, necessarily, the most appropriate accommodation option for domestic abuse victims who present with often complex needs.