Call made for Mayo County Council to reform housing policy to support domestic violence victims

By Nathan Molloy, The Sligo Champion

Sonas has urged the Government and all local authorities to introduce urgent reforms to housing policy that would see perpetrators of domestic violence removed from the family home, rather than victims and their children.

The organisation, the largest provider of frontline services to women and children experiencing domestic abuse, is calling for a new clause to be added to Mayo County Council’s tenancy agreements that would allow for the removal and rehousing of perpetrators, ensuring victims can remain safely in their homes.

CEO of Sonas, Fiona O’Malley, said the organisation recognises that legislative reform takes time, but stressed there are practical steps that “can and should be taken”.

“No woman or child should be forced to leave their home because of violence perpetrated against them. The system must shift its focus to holding perpetrators accountable, rather than displacing victims,” she said.

Sonas said that such a reform would have multiple benefits not only for victims but also for the housing sector.

It would protect stability for victims by allowing them to stay in their homes. The reform would spare families the disruption, emotional distress, and uncertainty associated with moving into refuges or emergency accommodation, situations that in some cases can lead to homelessness.

The organisation also states the clause would ease pressure on already overstretched refuge and safe house services, which are typically designed for short-term stays and are not a permanent housing solution.

They also note the cost-effectiveness of rehousing a single perpetrator rather than an entire family, and say that keeping victims within their communities ensures continued access to schools, GPs, support networks, and other essential services.

Avoiding forced displacement, they add, can reduce the long-term emotional and psychological impact on victims of domestic violence.

Sonas said the proposed reform to housing policy represents a “fairer, safer, and more sustainable approach to addressing domestic violence within the housing system.”

“We are asking policymakers and local authorities to act decisively,” Ms O’Malley added. “By introducing these measures, Ireland can take a meaningful step towards protecting victims, reducing harm, and ensuring that those responsible for violence - not those subjected to it - face the consequences.”

The Irish Independent put Sonas’s call for reform to Mayo County Council and asked what the council’s current tenancy agreements say about domestic violence situations and how such cases are dealt with when reported within its housing stock.

“Under the Anti-Social Behaviour Strategy, cases of domestic violence are not investigated by Mayo County Council,” a spokesperson said.

“An Garda Siochana are the primary investigating authority for allegations of domestic violence and for enforcing breaches of Safety Orders, Protection Orders and Barring Orders,

“All our Tenancy Agreements include a section on Anti-Social Behaviour. The tenancy agreement does not reference Domestic Violence,” they explained.

The Mayo County Council Anti-Social Behaviour Strategy states: “Cases involving serious crime should be referred immediately to An Garda Siochana”.

It continues: “Cases of Domestic Violence do not come within the scope of the definitions of Anti-Social Behaviours. The Domestic Violence Act 2018 is the appropriate legislation for such cases.”

Mayo County Council noted that Sonas is calling on all local authorities to add the same clause to their tenancy agreements.

“This is likely to be a national issue and we would hope that guidance would [be] issue[d] from the Department/Housing Agency in the near future,” the spokesperson said.

This article has been funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.