Aoife Kelly-Desmond

The Social Housing, Domestic Violence and the Public Sector Duty report was launched by Labour leader and legal academic Ivana Bacik at a multidisciplinary conference hosted by the independent law centre and charity on Tuesday.

The report examines the legal and policy landscape for victims of domestic violence facing homelessness or housing crisis and makes positive recommendations for change.

It identifies domestic violence as a leading cause of homelessness in Ireland, but warns that this is disguised in statistics by the failure to include people housed in domestic violence refuges as homeless.

The report calls for an amendment to section 2 of the Housing Act 1998 to make clear that victims of domestic violence who cannot return home should be recognised as homeless.

It also proposes amending the Housing Acts to require domestic violence to be recognised as a form of priority for accessing social housing, and amending the Residential Tenancies Acts 2004–2022 to allow for a tenant’s name to be removed from the lease in the context of domestic abuse and/or relationship breakdown.

Aoife Kelly-Desmond, managing solicitor of MLRC, said: “The report reinforces the experience of MLRC — that people who have been victims of domestic violence face particular barriers when seeking access to suitable social housing supports and emergency homeless accommodation.

“Unfortunately, many victims of domestic abuse are forced from their homes and, without appropriate and timely supports, can end up in homelessness. This report aims to shine a light on aspects of law and policy that exacerbate these issues and to make positive recommendations for reform.”

Launching the report, Ms Bacik said: “The report highlights the specific difficulties at the intersection of domestic violence and homelessness and the need for a significant increase in the number of refuge accommodation beds in the country.”