In the early days of COVID-19 we described temporary measures in Scotland to assist people experiencing domestic violence. Two groups led the design and the implementation of the temporary measures: Scottish Women’s Aid and the Scottish Housing Regulator. Then the two groups worked to support agencies that assist people experiencing domestic violence and housing providers to implement the temporary measures. The two groups have now published a report, which makes recommendations for the Scottish Government to consider going forward.
The report recommends that the temporary measures should become permanent, as well as some new ones intended to add more safety and security for people who experience domestic violence. The Scottish Government seems enthusiastic in its response. You can more about the recommendations and the response in the Scottish Housing News: Aileen Campbell: Protecting women experiencing domestic abuse
One new measure would enable housing providers to end the tenancies of domestic abusers. This would clear the way to support people who are victims of abuse to continue to live in their homes. Housing providers have spoken up to support this measure in The Herald: Housing associations Scotland: End tenancies of domestic abusers
Advocates and service providers on the other side of the Atlantic have also spoken up in support of requiring the abusers to move. Try: Intimate Partner Violence: New Directions For Programming
Below: Our post discussing temporary measures to assist people experiencing domestic violence during COVID-19.
The COVID-19 response draws attention to our homes and how we live together. Some issues that we were struggling to fix before have been made even worse. Domestic violence is one example. As people have been told to stay home, incidents of domestic violence have increased around the world.1
One of the key challenges to domestic violence responses, at any time, is a supply of housing that can be available on short notice. In Scotland, social housing providers were expected to have domestic violence policies and procedures before COVID-19. Now, the Chartered Housing Institute has gone a step further and issued guidance to its housing providers, which is intended to improve access to social housing for people fleeing violence.2 The Institute partnered with Scottish Women’s Aid, a national agency that provides domestic violence services, to prepare the content. The guidance describes the domestic violence in the context of COVID-19, instructs housing workers and tenants on measures avoid infection and relaxes some of the rules to lower the up front costs of moving in. It also suggests actions the housing providers could take to support local domestic violence services and provides contact information.
For more on this announcement, and the details of the guidance, see Glasgow Evening Times: Women’s Aid Issues Guidance For Social Landlords In Glasgow To Tackle Domestic Abuse and Scottish Women’s Aid and Chartered Institute of Housing: Guidance For Social Landlords: Domestic Abuse: COVID-19
These actions are directed to housing that is publicly supported, a small but significant share of the country’s total housing stock. Domestic violence does not discriminate by race or class. Private landlords who want to get on board could use the guidance as a template to be adapted.
In the longer term, a UN-based initiative has begun developing gender responsive standards, with a view to reducing, among other things, the incidence of domestic violence. For more on this work try: Gender Responsive Standards For Housing, Please!
Footnotes
- See: COVID-19: Staying At Home To Stay Safe From The Virus May Be The Least Of Your Worries
- The Chartered Housing Institute monitors and supports the social housing sector in Scotland.
