SEA responds to emergency fund announcement

This week, the UK Government announced additional funding to support victim-survivors of domestic abuse. The £300,000 pot will allow women fleeing abuse to access up to £500 to cover essentials such as food, clothing, and accommodation. Crucially, this funding can also be accessed by migrant women who may not have access to other public funding. We greatly welcome this new funding pilot and hope it represents the beginning of even greater support for victim-survivors.

Dr Nicola Sharp-Jeffs OBE, founder and CEO of Surviving Economic Abuse said,

“We are pleased to see this commitment from the government. Lack of access to emergency funds prevents victims from leaving an abuser, it prevents those who do manage to leave from rebuilding their lives safely and it is why many feel they have no choice but to return. An emergency flee fund will represent a lifeline to victims and their children.

Economic safety underpins physical safety. The rising cost of living means this emergency fund could not come at a more crucial moment. The Financial Support Line, run in partnership between Surviving Economic Abuse and Money Advice Plus, shows that 4 in 5 victim-survivors are now in a negative budget or have less than £100 at the end of each month.

It is encouraging to see that this fund will be delivered by specialist domestic abuse organisations, as well as the fact it will be open to survivors with no recourse to public funds. We know that perpetrators use the financial dependency of migrant survivors as a means of control and abuse, so this is an important inclusion.

We are delighted to have supported this call by Women’s Aid and pay tribute to the domestic abuse survivors who shared their experiences to bring about this fund.”