Housing Options for Domestic Abuse Survivors: 7 Things Every Local Authority Team Should Know in 2026

This article focuses on England, where the housing duties discussed apply. Housing law and arrangements differ across the UK.

For someone experiencing domestic abuse, finding somewhere safe to stay can involve several routes at once: specialist refuge, a safer home, temporary accommodation, social housing or supported move-on accommodation. The right option depends on the person’s wishes, safety, household and support needs.

The challenge is that legal rights do not guarantee an available home. Women’s Aid’s Nowhere to Turn 2026 found that 65.2% of refuge referrals were rejected in 2024–25, the highest rate in five years. Lack of suitable move-on housing is a key part of the problem: when residents cannot move on, refuge spaces stay occupied.

Here are seven practical points for local authority housing, homelessness and safeguarding teams, and for health and social care colleagues making referrals.

1. Start with safety, choice and a safe way to make contact

A survivor does not have to wait until they have left home to ask for help. Under homelessness law, it may be unreasonable for someone to continue living in accommodation if they, or a household member, are likely to experience domestic abuse there. Abuse can include coercive control, economic abuse and threats, not only physical violence.

Housing authorities should help survivors understand their options without pressuring them to stay or leave. Agree safe ways and times to make contact, check whether voicemail or written messages are safe, and record any limits on sharing information.

The Homelessness Code of Guidance, Chapter 21 says authorities should not adopt a blanket requirement for police or other corroborating evidence. They should not contact the alleged perpetrator or ask someone to return to an unsafe home to collect documents. With the survivor’s consent, a specialist worker, friend or family member may help make an initial approach.

Practical takeaway: Ask what is safe before sending messages, sharing information or arranging an appointment. Make it possible to start a homelessness application by phone, online or with support.

2. Know when refuge is the right option, and where its limits are

A refuge offers safe accommodation and specialist domestic abuse support, usually at a confidential address. It can be an appropriate option when the risk is high or a survivor needs to leave their area. A referral can be made through a specialist domestic abuse service or refuge provider.

But not every refuge can meet every household’s needs. Women’s Aid reports that only 11.5% of refuge vacancies could consider a woman with no recourse to public funds, and just 1.1% were suitable for a wheelchair user. A refuge may also be unable to accommodate a family with older male children. These barriers make suitable, specialist alternatives essential.

No recourse to public funds (NRPF) can affect access to some benefits and housing assistance, but it should not end the conversation. Seek specialist advice on immigration status and available support, and explore whether a service can accommodate the person’s needs. Do not assume a survivor has no options.

Practical takeaway: When a refuge cannot accept a referral, ask why and what alternative safe provision is available. Make sure accessibility, children’s needs, immigration circumstances and support requirements are part of the search.

3. Consider a sanctuary scheme if staying at home is safe and the survivor wants to

A sanctuary scheme can help a survivor remain in their own home through security improvements and specialist support. Measures might include stronger doors and locks, window security, an entry system, an alarm or a secure room.

This is a choice, not a substitute for rehousing when home is unsafe. A sanctuary scheme may be unsuitable if the perpetrator lives in the property, can legally enter it, or the survivor remains at risk in the surrounding area. The survivor’s wishes and an individual risk assessment should guide the decision.

Where the authority or a housing association is the landlord, it may also be possible to explore tenancy options that allow the survivor to remain while the perpetrator leaves.

Practical takeaway: Offer security measures alongside other housing options, not instead of them. Do not expect someone to return home simply because security work or a court order is proposed.

4. Explain the homelessness route, and do not confuse it with a local connection test

A person homeless because of domestic abuse has priority need under the Housing Act 1996. This means the local housing authority must consider its homelessness duties, including accommodation where the relevant legal tests are met. If the authority has reason to believe an applicant may be homeless, eligible for assistance and in priority need, it should consider interim accommodation while it makes enquiries.

A survivor can approach any council for homelessness help; they do not have to start with the council where they previously lived. There is also a specific protection against unsafe referrals: an authority cannot refer an applicant to another district where the applicant, or someone who might reasonably live with them, would be at risk of domestic abuse there.

That protection is not a blanket removal of every local connection rule in every homelessness decision. It means authorities must ask about risk and must not send someone to a district where they would be unsafe. Social housing allocation rules are a separate route, with an additional protection introduced in 2025 (see point 5).

Practical takeaway: Accept an approach from outside the area, assess the survivor’s circumstances and risk, and consider homelessness duties without requiring them to return to an unsafe district.

5. Apply the 2025 social housing allocation protection correctly

The Allocation of Housing Regulations 2025 changed how local connection can be used in social housing qualification criteria. In England, a council that uses a residence or local connection test must not apply it to disqualify a person who has experienced domestic abuse and needs to move for reasons connected with that abuse. This can include someone seeking to move on from a refuge or other temporary accommodation.

The protection helps survivors who have fled to another area and might otherwise fail a residency test. It does not guarantee an immediate social housing offer. Allocation schemes, available homes, household needs and priority still matter. Authorities should make sure their allocation policies and staff guidance reflect the change.

Practical takeaway: When considering an application, establish whether the move is connected to domestic abuse and apply the exemption where the criteria are met. Consider appropriate priority for urgent rehousing and move-on.

6. Include dispersed and second-stage accommodation in the local pathway

Refuge is not the only form of safe accommodation. Dispersed accommodation can offer a self-contained home with specialist support, which may suit someone who cannot safely or comfortably use shared accommodation. This can be important for people with complex needs, disabled survivors or families whose household composition makes a refuge unsuitable.

Second-stage or move-on accommodation offers a lower level of domestic-abuse-specific support for a limited period before someone is ready for independent settled housing. Not everyone needs it: some survivors can move directly from refuge to a settled home.

Part 4 of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 gives tier one local authorities in England a duty to assess need, develop a strategy and commission support in relevant safe accommodation for survivors and their children. It is a support duty, not a duty to provide a particular home. Housing authorities must still meet their separate homelessness obligations.

Practical takeaway: Map refuge, dispersed, specialist and second-stage options together with housing and support partners. Make sure pathways work for people arriving from outside the area as well as local residents.

7. Treat move-on housing as part of refuge capacity

When suitable move-on housing is unavailable, survivors may be unable to leave refuge when they are ready. This restricts access for people who need a place urgently. Women’s Aid identifies survivors with NRPF, disabled survivors and families with older male children among those facing particular barriers.

The Homelessness, Rough Sleeping and Domestic Abuse Grant for 2026–27 includes ringfenced funding for domestic abuse safe accommodation. Local teams should check the grant determination and their area’s allocation when planning provision. Funding supports local duties; it is not a personal cash entitlement or a guarantee of a refuge bed or tenancy.

Track referral outcomes, reasons for refusal, length of stay and move-on delays. Use that evidence with specialist providers, housing associations, social care and health partners to identify gaps and plan suitable homes. The social housing allocation guidance encourages authorities to work together so people leaving safe accommodation can access settled housing.

Practical takeaway: Include move-on options in commissioning and housing plans. Review who is being turned away, and act on gaps in accessibility, household suitability and specialist support.

Build confidence across the whole housing pathway

The rules and services are easier to apply when staff can recognise abuse, respond safely and work confidently with specialist partners. Practical domestic abuse training local authority teams can support better decisions, while safeguarding domestic abuse training helps colleagues across housing, health and social care coordinate referrals.

Serene Futures provides domestic abuse training courses for professionals working in this area, including training on UK law and domestic abuse. To discuss domestic abuse training UK provision for your housing team, contact Serene Futures.