Response to Budget Announcement

John Plummer, Coordinator of London Prisons Mission, on behalf of the Safe Homes for Women Leaving Prison initiative says:

“We welcome the £4 million for a trial of ‘Respite Rooms’ across England to provide specialist support for homeless women facing severe disadvantage as a step in the right direction. However, this does not solve the problem of thousands of vulnerable women with complex needs, most of whom are victims of domestic abuse, being released from prison to homelessness every year.”

“These women, often released with just £46 and a plastic bag, are being repeatedly set up to fail because they do not have access to safe and secure long-term accommodation. Many are victims of domestic abuse and are left vulnerable to further abuse as a result of their homelessness, perpetuating a continuing cycle of harm.”

“It is essential that these new Respite Rooms support women into long-term safe and secure accommodation, not just provide emergency accommodation, in order to help them rebuild their lives. This must also include provision for the thousands of women leaving prison to No Fixed Abode each year.”

“In order to succeed, this cannot just be a trial. This provision will need to be rolled out across England and Wales, with the long-term sustainable funding necessary to provide meaningful support for these vulnerable women. There is a significant disparity between this £4 million trial and the £150 million recently promised to build more women’s prison places and we would welcome an equivalent investment in the community solutions that are so desperately needed by vulnerable women with complex needs, including prison leavers. We look forward to further details on this announcement.”