Motion J
Proposer: Councillor Osborne and Councillor Rippingale
This Council notes:
• Domestic abuse is a leading cause of homelessness, with survivors often unable to access safe housing due to financial abuse, coerced debt, and poor credit histories.
• 95% of survivors experience financial abuse and 43% are left in debt, making private renting difficult because landlords rely on credit checks, increasing pressure on social housing.
• Even with CBH’s Homestep scheme, barriers remain. Of 400 households assessed, 270 were eligible but still could not secure private rentals.
• 131 individuals in temporary accommodation in Colchester are victims of domestic abuse, highlighting urgent need for safe housing solutions.
• CBH is working towards DAHA accreditation, the gold standard for housing responses to domestic abuse.
This Council believes:
• Survivors should not be penalised for financial harm inflicted by perpetrators.
• Housing responses must be trauma-informed, inclusive, and prevent retraumatisation.
• Survivors need one point of entry into housing, welfare, and financial support services.
• Support must include those with No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF).
This Council resolves to:
1. Establish a Domestic Abuse Housing Covenant, embedding DAHA principles into CBH and Council housing policies and practices.
2. Create a single point of entry through a dedicated Domestic Abuse Housing Support Officer and Financial Inclusion Pathway, offering:
o Benefit checks, debt advice, and credit repair support.
o Tailored assistance for survivors with NRPF.
3. Pilot a Rental Guarantee Scheme to remove barriers such as deposits and credit checks.
4. Ensure safe temporary accommodation that prevents retraumatisation.
5. Introduce a Domestic Abuse Champions Network across CBH and Council services.
6. Formalise partnerships with domestic abuse charities, financial institutions, and landlord forums.
Funding and Legislative Ask
This Council calls on Government to:
• Provide ring-fenced funding for local authorities to deliver innovative housing solutions for survivors through the Dormant Asset Fund.
• Review the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 to introduce statutory protections for survivors of financial abuse when applying for credit or housing, including mechanisms to remove coerced debt and prevent discrimination based on abuse-related financial harm.
• Address barriers for survivors with No Recourse to Public Funds.
This Council further resolves:
• To report annually on DAHA accreditation and covenant implementation.
• To engage survivor voice through a lived experience advisory panel.
As the motion relates to an executive function it will stand referred direct to Cabinet, unless Procedure Rule 11(2) is suspended.