Government pledges £19 million to support safe housing for domestic abuse survivors
It's part of their Violence Against Women and Girls strategy
Councils will receive a further £19 million aimed at providing safe housing for domestic abuse survivors as part of the Government's violence against women and girls (Vawg) strategy.
Ministers said the funding would help local authorities offer victims access to a "fresh start" on top of £480 million already pledged over the next three years for support including refuges and sanctuary schemes.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is set to unveil sweeping reforms to the criminal justice system this week as part of Government plans to halve Vawg, which it has declared a "national emergency", within a decade.
Around £500 million will go towards the Domestic Abuse Safe Accommodation Duty, which places a statutory requirement on local authorities to provide support to survivors and children in safe accommodation.
Measures can include access to housing in refuges or confidential locations, or security upgrades such as lock changes and alarms for people staying in their own home.
Homelessness minister Alison McGovern said:
"This funding will help local authorities provide safe accommodation and tailored support, including refuges and sanctuary schemes, so every survivor can access safety, stability and a fresh start."
The Government's Vawg strategy will be unveiled by Ms Mahmood on Thursday, after being pushed back three times this year.
Under the plans, specialist rape and sex offences investigators will be introduced to every police force in a bid to fix what the Home Secretary described as a "postcode lottery" of how allegations are handled.
Ms Mahmood is also expected to set out proposals to strip foreign sex offenders of refugee protections in an attempt to ensure they can be deported faster under reforms to human rights laws.
Plans will also be explored to widen the domestic violence disclosure scheme so that more offenders will have their past convictions released to their partners on request.
Nearly £2 million will also be invested into a network of specialist officers to target violence against women and girls online.
Speaking to broadcasters on Sunday, Ms Mahmood faced questions about whether the Government had pledged enough money amid opposition criticism of the scale of the funding commitment.
She said "there will be the money that we need" underpinning the announcements.
Referring to the announcement of specialist online units, shadow home secretary Chris Philp said: "It's disappointing this Government has taken a year-and-a-half to announce a strategy, and the new money they're putting into it today is a very small amount, it's only £2 million.
"It'll pay for less than one police officer per police force, or 30 in total, at a time when Labour have cut 1,300 police. So, I'm afraid it's too little too late."