To: Stop planned changes to funding for women's refuges
Prime Minister, Rt Hon Theresa May MP
Immediately halt dangerous planned changes to the way that women's domestic abuse refuges are funded, as they could put women's and children’s lives at risk.
Work with Women's Aid and other partners to ensure that the national network of women's refuges is given a model of funding that will protect services in the long term.
Work with Women's Aid and other partners to ensure that the national network of women's refuges is given a model of funding that will protect services in the long term.
Why is this important?
New government funding plans threaten to dismantle our life-saving national network of refuges and put the lives of women and children trying to escape domestic abuse at risk.
A Women’s Aid survey of refuge services showed that the proposed new model of funding could force over half of refuges responding to close or reduce their provision - resulting in 4000 more women and children turned away from the lifesaving services they desperately need.
Already there are not enough refuge spaces to meet demand; data from Women’s Aid shows that 60% of total referrals to refuges were declined in 2016/17. When on average two women a week are killed by a partner or ex partner across England and Wales the stakes could not be higher.
Under the new plans, rent money which would have in the past gone straight to domestic violence refuges would instead go to local authorities - effectively forcing refuges to compete for funding with other local services. Refuge managers have warned “if the plans get implemented it will be the end of domestic violence refuges."
Visit the Women’s Aid website to find out more about this campaign: https://www.womensaid.org.uk/what-we-do/campaigning-and-influencing/campaign-with-us/sos/
A Women’s Aid survey of refuge services showed that the proposed new model of funding could force over half of refuges responding to close or reduce their provision - resulting in 4000 more women and children turned away from the lifesaving services they desperately need.
Already there are not enough refuge spaces to meet demand; data from Women’s Aid shows that 60% of total referrals to refuges were declined in 2016/17. When on average two women a week are killed by a partner or ex partner across England and Wales the stakes could not be higher.
Under the new plans, rent money which would have in the past gone straight to domestic violence refuges would instead go to local authorities - effectively forcing refuges to compete for funding with other local services. Refuge managers have warned “if the plans get implemented it will be the end of domestic violence refuges."
Visit the Women’s Aid website to find out more about this campaign: https://www.womensaid.org.uk/what-we-do/campaigning-and-influencing/campaign-with-us/sos/