Refuge data shows how cost of living crisis is impacting survivors of abuse

New data from Refuge highlights how cost of living crisis is impacting survivors of abuse.

• 73% of frontline workers surveyed said that the cost-of-living crisis is increasing barriers to leaving a perpetrator
• 75% of respondents said the crisis meant survivors needed to use food banks for essentials
• 92% said it is pushing survivors further into debt
• Refuge calls for immediate reforms to the way welfare benefits are paid to survivors, to address cost of living crisis, and for emergency payments to be increased.

Refuge, the country’s largest single provider of specialist domestic abuse services, is today sounding the alarm on the impact the cost-of-living crisis is having on the women and children they support, with almost three quarters of frontline staff reporting that survivors are facing increased barriers to leaving their perpetrators.

73% of Refuge’s frontline staff said that the cost-of-living crisis is increasing barriers to leaving a perpetrator, and 68% of said that it was leading to survivors questioning whether they made the right decision to leave their perpetrator due to struggles to afford the basics. Some frontline workers report that women have returned to perpetrators as they cannot afford to live alone or as a single parent.

Data shows that 97% of frontline staff surveyed said the cost-of-living crisis is having a significant or severe impact on survivors, with many being reliant on food banks to afford essentials.

The economic conditions for survivors to leave their perpetrators are already wholly unfavourable, with finances often acting as a barrier to leaving an abuser. Perpetrators often control household income, which makes it harder for survivors to access the money they need to flee. Economic abuse (where perpetrators limit a survivor’s ability to work or access education opportunities, and where perpetrators run up debts in survivors’ names without their knowledge or consent) is also a huge barrier to leaving. Survivors are already facing making the impossible choice between fleeing into homelessness and poverty or staying with an abuser. With the basic cost of living rising, it is becoming increasingly difficult for survivors to flee to safety.

Three quarters of frontline respondents said that the cost-of-living crisis has meant their clients now need to use food banks to get by. Two thirds (66%) reported survivors are skipping meals or are unable to afford food for their children. Over half (51%) said survivors they support, who often have to re-purchase everything from technology to clothes after fleeing an abuser, are unable to afford school uniform and other basics for their children.

92% of respondents said that the cost-of-living crisis is pushing the survivors they support into debt or further debt. 61% of Refuge’s frontline staff said that the cost-of-living crisis is creating opportunities for or intensifying economic abuse.

The nature of support domestic abuse specialists are giving is having to adapt, with 85% saying they are spending more time supporting survivors with debts and 76% spending more time helping survivors access essentials like food. 88% of frontline workers said that the cost-of-living crisis is impacting survivors’ mental health, with some frontline workers reporting an increase in suicidality from clients.

As an immediate response to the cost-of-living crisis, Refuge is calling on the government to urgently reform the benefit system to help survivors bearing the weight of this crisis. Recent announcements that Universal Credit claimants will receive two payments totalling £650 over the summer and autumn are welcome, but alone will not alleviate the severe impacts of the crisis in having on survivors.

Refuge recommends:

• Universal Credit, working tax credit and other ‘legacy’ benefits are increased by £20 per week – this would restore the benefits ‘uplift’ provided during the Covid-19 pandemic
• Universal Credit and other benefit advances are payable to survivors as grants instead of loans
• Survivors of domestic abuse are exempt from the benefit cap
• Universal Credit is paid by default into separate accounts when claimed jointly as a couple

Ruth Davison, Refuge CEO, said:

“The cost-of-living crisis is having a real and measurable impact on the women Refuge supports. We are deeply concerned about what it means for these women and their children, who are experiencing domestic abuse.

“We have long been aware that lack of access to money can be a significant barrier to a woman’s ability to flee their abuser or seek specialist support. The degree to which our frontline staff are now hearing that women are balancing the danger of living with their perpetrator and the struggle of managing alone is staggering.

“Whilst we welcome the incoming emergency benefit payments, we urge the government to act now to ensure that this cost-of-living crisis does not cost women and children their lives.”

Amara*, a survivor of domestic abuse, who fled to a refuge with her child, said:

“There are many questions that run through your mind when you think about leaving. Starting over and having to uproot your life in a completely new city is daunting but I absolutely know this was the right decision for me.

“Hearing that other survivors are having to weigh up the risks to their personal safety staying with a perpetrator or facing potential poverty by leaving is devastating.

“As a single parent, the cost-of-living crisis is having a big impact – everyday costs are rising and it’s a constant struggle to make my money work. I’m always anxious in case of unexpected expenses and the school holidays coming up mean more worries about how to afford to keep the cupboards full and keep my child entertained. It seems like there’s no end in sight to this crisis.”

Emily*, a frontline worker at Refuge, said:

“Working with survivors of domestic abuse through this crisis has been heart breaking.

“Recently, a survivor I worked with returned to an abusive partner as she felt she just couldn’t manage living alone as a single parent because of the lack of financial security she has.

“No woman should feel she has no choice but to stay with an abusive partner – or even return to one – because she doesn’t have enough to cover her basic needs.

“The government cannot sit back as more women feel forced to make this devastating choice. Something needs to be done urgently to protect survivors.”

Ends

Notes to editors

Please contact the Press Office for copies of the data tables from our frontline staff survey. Call on 0207 395 7731 or email press@refuge.org.uk.

* Names have been changed to protect identities.

About Refuge

Refuge supports thousands of women and children on any given day, and runs the National Domestic Abuse Helpline, which is the gateway to accessing specialist support across the country. More than one in four women in England and Wales experiences domestic abuse at some point in their lifetime, and two women a week are killed by a current or former partner.

Please signpost to Refuge’s National Domestic Abuse Helpline 0808 2000 247, available 24 hours a day 7 days a week for free, confidential specialist support. Or visit www.nationaldahelpline.org.uk to fill in a webform and request a safe time to be contacted or to access live chat (live chat available 3pm-10pm, Monday to Friday). For support with tech abuse visit refugetechsafety.org