February 24, 2020
Council welcomes cash boost to domestic abuse accommodation for men in Sheffield
Sheffield City Council is pleased to announce that a bid for government funding support for survivors of domestic violence has been successful.
Sheffield has been awarded £67,336 of the Government’s £16.6m national fund. The funding pot has been made available to local authorities to bid for specialist help and housing provision for those affected by domestic abuse. The fund will help fill the gaps in specialist safe housing provision for domestic abuse victims. The pilot scheme, starting in April for the duration of one year will provide supported accommodation for men, including GBT+ community, and some women for whom the current refuge provision is not suitable.
Cabinet member for Health and Social Care at Sheffield City Council, George Lindars-Hammond said: “We are delighted with the news of our successful bid to Government to enable Sheffield Council to work with our partners IDAS and Target Housing to provide specialist supported safe accommodation for men who are at risk of domestic abuse, and women for whom refuge is not appropriate. We know that Domestic Abuse affects thousands of people in Sheffield each year and we are committed to supporting all people who suffer, including men and LGBT+ people. The funding will help us to meet our ambition of expanding our specialist supported accommodation provision to more people.”
The accommodation will include safety features and will be provided and managed by Target Housing. Residents will have access to the help they need from Independent Domestic Abuse Services (IDAS) who currently provide specialist domestic abuse services in Sheffield.
CEO of IDAS, Sarah Hill said: “This funding is great news for victims living in Sheffield. We know from years of experience that victims are most at risk at the point when they escape an abusive relationship. So to increase their options for safe, emergency accommodation with support, is absolutely vital. “We very much look forward to working closely with partners to set up the new service over the coming months.”
The new fund will mean the refuge provision can be extended to provide 8 extra units to support 8 victims (and children if relevant) with the potential to support approximately 25 people per year.
CEO of Target Housing, Shaun Needham said: “We are very excited about the new pilot scheme for those affected by domestic abuse in the city. We are proud to be a part of this new initiative especially one that we believe will be very innovative and will seek to address a very complex issue in a new and different way.”
