Jersey's Housing Minister has pledged to explore creating follow-on accommodation provision in the island for domestic abuse survivors when they leave supported living.

This follows the Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) taskforce report which revealed experiencing or escaping domestic abuse is the leading reason for homelessness amongst women in Jersey. 

Evidence was also presented that the fear of victims losing their home and difficulties in finding an alternative place to live is creating further barriers for women leaving abusive relationships. 

The report recommended that a review should be taken surrounding follow-on accommodation.

This is the type of place that a survivor may go to next after leaving a refuge or other type of third sector supported accommodation, often provided by FREEDA, the Shelter Trust and Venetia House. 

Housing Minister Sam Mezec said the review showed there is a need for follow-on accommodation and further support for islanders. 

Currently the next steps for women leaving supported living are to go into the private or social rented sector, with no specialised follow-on accommodation available. 

The Deputy tells Channel 103 changing this is his immediate priority: 

"We will be having conversations with Andium Homes about what actual physical homes may be suitable to have an angle where they can be used to help people leaving those domestic abuse situations.

"But it is not just about the specific buildings, it's also about the wrap-around support that comes with that. Theoretically, any home we manage ought to be appropriate for follow-on accommodation.

"We need to know the people we are helping move into those places will have certainty that something is available to them and they will get wrap around support that is as personalised as possible.

"This will include providing people that help them along the way, help them through all of that so they are not left alone to sort everything out themselves when they might not be able to."

Housing Minister Sam Mezec 

Plans going forward will include establishing the demand for follow-on accommodation and then potentially working towards delivering this in the island.

They will also involve continuing to publish regular housing data so policies can be changed based on what is and what is not working.

         The tenets of Mezec's new plans

Deputy Mezec tells us why taking immediate action is so important: 

"To be perfectly honest, people who don't have housing status in Jersey face a real difficulty. 

"We heard testimonies of people who wouldn't leave a home that was becoming unsafe because they didn't have the legal status to actually be able to take on a home elsewhere as they didn't have housing qualifications.

"I think the idea that the housing qualifications law would disincentivise people from leaving a dangerous situation is unconscionable and unfair. Reading that in particular was shocking and upsetting.

"I hope the work the taskforce did in exposing this will hopefully serve as a bit of a wakeup call that we have to get processes and systems in place so that nobody stays in a potentially violent situation because of a law stopping them from getting a safer home elsewhere."