Gateshead Domestic Abuse Strategy 2025-28
Gateshead Safe Accommodation Strategy
The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 placed a new statutory duty on local authorities to ensure that victim/survivors of domestic abuse and their children can access the right support, within refuges and other types of domestic abuse safe accommodation, when they need it.
Our Safe Accommodation Strategy and related provision outlines the steps needed to meet the statutory duty, in line with government guidance.
Following a needs assessment which investigated the need and demand for domestic abuse provision across housing and homelessness services, we will be recommissioning our domestic abuse safe accommodation within the next 12 months.
This will substantially increase the volume and types of available safe accommodation provision. The strategy also sets out further actions which we will take forward, to address outstanding safe accommodation gaps, within our wider domestic abuse strategic plan.
This includes ensuring we have sufficient safe accommodation units to fully meet our demands, as well as our pathways to enable victims to remain at home where they choose to do so, by increasing access to preventative measures such as Sanctuary Schemes such as sanctuary schemes.