Domestic violence plays key role in homelessness in 25% of cases

Domestic violence plays a key role in some families becoming homeless — with one support agency claiming it could be a factor in as many as a quarter of all cases.

It was also claimed that some women now feel they have to stay in an abusive household and be “beaten, raped, or humiliated” rather than face the prospect of their children being homeless.

Fiona Ryan, chief executive of the Sonas Domestic Violence Charity, said that in a survey of 70 families that became newly homeless in March, one-in-six said domestic violence was the main cause of their homeless experience.