Funding to tackle domestic abuse welcomed in South Tyneside

The Government is providing £125million to councils across England to make sure that safe accommodation spaces, such as refuges and shelters, can provide victims with vital support services including healthcare, social workers and benefits.

Ministers say advice for victims, drug or alcohol support and other specialist services will also be funded and made available so that anyone who flees their home gets the help they need.

The Government said the funding will help South Tyneside agencies increase the support they can offer domestic abuse victims, while allowing them to choose how the funding is spent to match local priorities and benefit those in need.

Ministers also announced a consultation on housing rules, with the aim of giving victims more choice on where they rebuild their lives.

Chloe Grant, a member of South Tyneside Conservatives, who worked on the Domestic Abuse Strategy during while deployed at the Home Office, praised her party colleagues nationally for committing the funding.

“Domestic abuse is a horrific crime, and we must do everything we can to help victims recover and rebuild their lives,” she said.

“Having personally worked on the Domestic Abuse Strategy during my time at the Home Office, I am especially pleased the Government is giving additional funding to South Tyneside to help local victims of abuse and their children start again – with better services such as healthcare, social workers and benefits."

She said the moves would help victims escape their abusers and ensure perpetrators ‘rightly feel the full force of the law’.

Rough Sleeping and Housing Minister Eddie Hughes said: “This funding will give victims of domestic abuse and their children across the country the practical

and emotional support to recover and rebuild their lives from this terrible crime.

“Through the landmark Domestic Abuse Act, the government has transformed the response to domestic abuse, helping to prevent offending and make sure victims are protected and supported.

“The consultations we are launching today build on this work and will help us give victims more options to move forward with their lives in the way that is right for them.

Safeguarding Minister Rachel Maclean added: “Home is not the safe place it should be for domestic abuse victims and their families.

"The extra support provided today will provide a vital lifeline for victims as they try and rebuild their lives positively while feeling supported and protected.

“These are important changes that sit alongside the new measures in the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill which will give victims of domestic abuse longer to report offences to the police, so that abusers do not evade justice.”

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