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Nearly two-thirds of referrals to domestic abuse refuges are being rejected due to a lack of space, according to a new report by Women’s Aid, highlighting mounting pressure on support services despite rising demand.
The charity’s annual Domestic Abuse Report found that 65.2% of refuge referrals were declined last year, the highest rate recorded in five years. While 10,665 women and 11,732 children were supported, the majority of those seeking help were unable to access refuge accommodation.
The findings come against the backdrop of the government’s wider strategy to tackle violence against women and girls, but Women’s Aid warned that without urgent systemic reform, services will struggle to meet demand.
The report attributes the shortfall primarily to a lack of capacity, driven by chronic underfunding, inconsistent commissioning practices and a shortage of move-on accommodation. As a result, refuges are often unable to accept new referrals because existing residents cannot move on to longer-term housing.
Significant gaps in provision were also identified for survivors with additional needs. Only 1.1% of refuge vacancies were suitable for wheelchair users, while just 11.5% could accommodate women with no recourse to public funds. Refuges serving Black and minoritised women were also found to be less likely to receive full local authority funding.
The report further noted a decline in specialist support for children, despite their recognition in law as victims of domestic abuse. The proportion of refuge services offering dedicated support for children and young people fell by more than 11% over the past year.
Farah Nazeer, Chief Executive of Women’s Aid, said the sector has been operating under sustained financial pressure for years, warning that poor commissioning decisions and housing shortages are leaving survivors without safe options.
She called for ringfenced, long-term funding and a review of commissioning standards to ensure that services are properly resourced and prioritise survivor needs. Without such changes, she said, the government’s ambition to halve violence against women and girls within the next decade would be difficult to achieve.
The report also highlights how domestic abuse is evolving, with services increasingly supporting survivors facing technology-facilitated abuse. Online stalking and threats to share intimate images were among the most commonly reported issues, alongside emerging concerns such as coercion into online sexual activity.
Women’s Aid said that specialist domestic abuse services remain central to the national response, but warned that without sustained investment and structural reform, many survivors will continue to be turned away at the point of crisis.
