DAHA – the Domestic Abuse Housing Alliance – supports UK housing providers to improve their response to domestic abuse, and the approach they encourage is nationally recognised as best practice by policymakers and legislators. Its accreditation is widely recognised as the gold standard – and is one of the toughest frameworks in the sector.

South Essex Homes’ decided to seek accreditation in June 2021; this board describes the 20-month journey to successful completion in February 2023 that involved looking at every aspect of their service offer, and asking whether tenants living with domestic abuse were being offered the best possible support.

The aim is to help survivors either find a safe home or rebuild their sense of safety in their current home, and making sure the help they are offered through their landlord is consistent and co-ordinates support from a range of agencies.

It is vital that those who need this help know where to turn – and can ask for help safely. So, for instance, significant changes were made to the South Essex Homes website to signpost sources of help clearly, and to create a ‘leave page quickly’ button that added an extra level of safety for readers.

Community workshops, posters, articles in the customer newsletter – the team has used every possible opportunity to raise awareness among the wider community and among staff of the likely signs that someone is in difficulty, and where and how help can be had from the landlord and other agencies.

August 2023