New steps to stop abuse survivors becoming homeless.

Housing minister Paul McLennan is set to unveil groundbreaking measures in the Housing Bill today aimed directly at preventing domestic abuse survivors from facing homelessness. If enacted, this legislation will mandate all social landlords to create, implement, and uphold policies specifically designed to support tenants experiencing domestic abuse.

During his address to the Scottish Parliament’s Social Justice and Social Security committee, Mr McLennan will emphasise the importance of these measures in protecting vulnerable individuals. Notably, in cases where a tenant falls into rent arrears as a result of domestic abuse, the proposed legislation will bolster existing safeguards to compel social landlords to provide comprehensive support to the tenant in line with their domestic abuse policy.

Highlighting the need for such initiatives, Mr McLennan stressed, “Scotland already boasts the most robust homelessness rights in the entire UK. However, it is alarming that domestic abuse remains a prime driver of homelessness among women. Our goal is to ensure that no one is subjected to the heart-wrenching ordeal of losing their home due to abuse.”

Furthermore, the housing minister underlined the prevalence of financial abuse as a pervasive aspect of coercive control within domestic abuse dynamics. Shockingly, studies reveal that a staggering 89% of women endure financial abuse as part of their experience of domestic abuse.

With this in mind, the provisions outlined in the Housing Bill are specifically tailored to offer support to individuals grappling with domestic abuse within the realm of social housing. The overarching aim is to empower these individuals to either maintain their current residence or seamlessly transition to alternate housing options, all the while ensuring that rent arrears stemming from domestic abuse do not act as barriers to future access to social housing.