Domestic abuse victims offered up to €1,300 per month to help pay rent
Scheme is intended to help victims get a clean break from their abusers
Victims of domestic violence will be offered up to €1,300 per month to help them pay rent when they are undergoing separation and need immediate alternative accomodation.
Under the scheme, beneficiaries will receive between €850 and €1,300 per month, depending on household size and whether children or other dependants are involved.
The support could amount to between €10,000 and €15,600 per year for each family.
The measure, operated by the Housing Authority, was announced on Wednesday during a press conference addressed by Social Policy Minister Michael Falzon, Housing Minister Roderick Galdes and Parliamentary Secretary for Equality and Reforms Rebecca Buttigieg.
Buttigieg said the scheme is intended to support victims who urgently need to find new accommodation due to unsafe circumstances but lack the financial resources to do so. She described it as the main legacy of the 16 days of activism against domestic violence.
"It is designed to reach those who are going through a separation process and, because of their circumstances, need alternative accommodation and do not have the financial means to secure it," she said.
Applications for the scheme will be submitted exclusively by FSWS social workers following a detailed assessment of each case. Authorities said this approach ensures the scheme is operated “with the highest level of transparency”.
Assessments will be made through a points system intended to ensure the subsidy reaches those most vulnerable and most in need of distancing themselves from abusive environments.
Falzon said the initiative forms part of the government’s wider effort to help families leaving abusive situations. “We must look at the humanity of the victims and even more so at the children who are exposed to this environment,” he said.
“What we are announcing today is another link in this social chain that we believe in so strongly, one that will continue to offer comfort, stability and peace of mind to victims and their relatives.”
Galdes announced that €1 million has been allocated for the scheme in the coming year. While similar to the existing Housing Benefit Scheme, the new programme offers higher subsidies specifically tailored to domestic violence cases.
He added that the Housing Authority will continue supporting NGOs that provide temporary shelter for victims of domestic violence.