Two-thirds of DV refuge referrals turned away amid “decades long funding crisis”

A new report from Women’s Aid raises serious questions about whether current systems can meet the government’s ambition to halve violence against women and girls (VAWG) within the next decade.

Despite a year-on-year increase in refuge bedspaces, the report found that 65.2% of referrals were rejected last year – the highest proportion recorded in five years. In total, 10,665 women and 11,732 children were supported, but thousands more were unable to access safe accommodation.

The primary reason for refusal was a lack of space, driven by systemic issues in housing and commissioning. Refuges are increasingly unable to move families on due to shortages in suitable long-term accommodation, creating a bottleneck that limits new admissions.

Bedspaces also remain significantly below international recommendations, with provision still nearly a fifth under the levels advised by the Council of Europe.

The report highlights that access is particularly difficult for survivors with additional needs or those from minoritised communities:
- Only 1.1% of refuge vacancies were suitable for wheelchair users
- Just 11.5% could accommodate women with no recourse to public funds
- Services “by and for” Black and minoritised women were less likely to receive full local authority commissioning

At least 13.3% of refuge services received no local authority commissioned funding at all, further destabilising provision.

At the same time, support for children is declining. Despite legal recognition of children as victims in their own right, the proportion of services offering dedicated support for children and young people has fallen by 11.6%.

Chief Executive of Women's Aid, Farah Nazeer, said the findings reflect long-standing systemic failures: “As a direct result of consistently poor commissioning decisions, the domestic abuse sector has faced a decades long funding crisis… it continued to deliver lifesaving care to women and children escaping abuse.”

She warned that housing pressures are compounding the crisis: “It is unacceptable that… women and children are forced to remain in refuges for far longer, leaving countless others unable to receive the support they so desperately need.”

Nazeer also pointed to the fragility of funding models across the sector, with many services relying on reserves and volunteers to maintain provision.

Evidence from frontline organisations reinforces the national picture. Opoka CIO, said they had seen demand rise sharply, particularly among Polish women experiencing complex needs linked to immigration status.

Anna Barnett, Service Operations Manager said: “Our capacity has not kept pace, meaning we are increasingly faced with the difficult reality of having to decline support to some individuals.”

She added: “Each rejected referral represents a woman and her children, who may remain in unsafe or unstable circumstances due to a lack of available provision.”

Barnett highlighted additional barriers for migrant survivors, including limited access to public funds and legal restrictions linked to the Hague Convention, which can prevent women from returning to their country of origin with their children.

The organisation is also experiencing significant delays in moving families on from safe accommodation, with local authorities often not recognising survivors as a housing priority—further reducing available refuge spaces.

Similar pressures are evident at Newcastle Women's Aid, where referrals have remained consistently high over recent years.

CEO Elaine Langshaw said: “We do everything we can to avoid turning women away… But the reality is we are having to stretch our service further than ever before to meet demand.”

She noted that more women are now seeking help outside their local area after being unable to access support closer to home, indicating a system-wide issue rather than isolated local pressures.

“The safety net that women rely on is under real strain.”

One survivor supported by Newcastle Women’s Aid described the impact of gaps in provision after being unable to access services locally: “I didn't know where else to turn… Speaking to someone... a real person.... who understood and could help me think about my safety made such a difference at a really frightening time.”

Although the service was not funded to provide long-term support in her case, staff were able to offer immediate safety planning and guidance.

The report also identifies changing patterns of abuse, particularly the rise in technology-facilitated harm. The most commonly reported forms include:
• Online stalking (78.1%)
• Non-consensual intimate image sharing or threats (66.4%)

Services also reported new forms of abuse, including coerced participation in online platforms such as OnlyFans.

Women’s Aid is calling for urgent, long-term investment and reform of commissioning practices, including a new National Commissioning Statement to ensure consistent standards and oversight.

Nazeer emphasised the central role of specialist services: “The reality is that domestic abuse cannot be eradicated without the support and knowledge that specialist domestic abuse services bring.”