Domestic Abuse Housing Strategy

Dartford has approximately 116,800 residents as of 2021 (Census data), and has seen a 20% increase in population size from 2011. The Council, as a social housing landlord, currently owns a total of 4,228 properties, of which 3,780 are general needs properties and 448 are housing scheme properties.

The total tenant population is currently 5,101, of which 4,605 are general needs tenants and 496 are housing scheme tenants.

Domestic abuse increased over the Covid-19 pandemic period across Dartford and Kent, as more couples and families were under lockdown restrictions. The majority of districts in Kent have since seen reductions post pandemic and volumes are returning to levels seen pre-pandemic, as demonstrated in Table A above.

Between May to July 2023, Kent Police recorded a reduction of 1,361 domestic abuse crimes from the year before, a decrease of 9.1%. This reporting period saw a decrease of 53 domestic abuse crimes recorded within Dartford, which is equivalent to a reduction of 6.3%.

It is important to note that following an internal change in Kent Police to recording practices under the risk assessment and additional offence recording, over recording of stalking and harassment and controlling and coercive behaviour is no longer taking place and has impacted on domestic abuse volumes as well.

Homelessness

Prevention duty

The Council has a duty to take reasonable steps to help prevent any eligible person (regardless of priority need status, intentionality and whether they have a local connection) who is threatened with homelessness from becoming homeless. This means helping them to stay in their accommodation or helping them to find new accommodation before they actually become homeless. The prevention duty continues for 56 days unless it is brought to an end by an event such as accommodation being secured for the person, or by their becoming homeless.
In 2022-2023, 23 homeless applicants were owed the prevention duty due to domestic abuse as the reason for the loss of their last settled home. This represents 6.76% of all applicants owed the prevention duty.

Relief duty

The Council has a duty to take reasonable steps to help an applicant to secure accommodation if they are already homeless. The relief duty lasts for 56 days unless ended in another way.
In 2022-2023, 67 homeless applicants were owed the relief duty due to domestic abuse as the reason for the loss of their last settled home. This represents 25.57% of all applicants owed the relief duty. This was the second highest reason for the loss of last settled accommodation following family or friends no longer willing or able to accommodate (79 applicants, 30.15%).

Main duty

If a homeless applicant is still homeless after 56 days of the relief duty, the Council must consider what longer term duties are owed (‘the ‘main duty’). The Council has a duty to ensure that accommodation is available to a homeless applicant who is eligible for assistance, in priority need, and unintentionally homeless. A person can be in priority need as a result of being a victim of domestic abuse.
In 2022–2023, 7 applicants were accepted the main duty as they were in priority need due to domestic abuse. This represents 4.46% of all applicants owed the main duty.

Support needs

The Council has a duty to assess the support needs of all applicants who are homeless or threatened with homelessness, and agree a personalised housing plan which should include reasonable steps required to meet any support needs identified. A household can report multiple support needs.

In 2022–2023, out of a total of 495 support needs recorded, 60 support needs were recorded as person(s) being at risk of or having experienced domestic abuse.

Dartford’s Housing Allocations Scheme

The Council has a duty to publish an allocation scheme for determining priorities, and for defining the procedures to be followed in allocating social housing accommodation. The Council’s Housing Allocations Policy gives reasonable preference and additional priority (Band B) to homeless applicants who are homeless as a result of fleeing domestic abuse as well as priority to those who have fled domestic abuse and are in unsuitable housing in Dartford; regardless of how long they have lived in the borough.

Statutory guidance on improving access to social housing for victims and survivors of domestic abuse strongly encourages all local authorities to exempt from their residency requirements those who are living in a refuge or other form of safe temporary accommodation in their district having escaped domestic abuse in another local authority area. The Council’s Housing Allocations Policy provides for this.

In addition, applicants will be placed in Band A (high priority) for management transfers or reciprocal arrangements of existing social housing tenants where the social landlord requires the tenant to move or the tenant needs to move due to domestic abuse, violence, harassment, intimidation, hate crime or threats of violence likely to be carried out.
As at June 2023, there were 1,192 applicants on Dartford’s housing register. Of these applicants:

• 72 were in Band A (high priority)
• 586 were in Band B (medium to high priority)
• 190 were in Band C (medium priority)
• 344 were in Band D (low to medium priority)

For more information on how the Council allocates properties and the banding criteria used to determine priority, please see the Council’s Housing Allocations Policy.