TSB offers customers access to a “Flee Fund” which offers survivors up to £500 to escape an abusive situation. The bank reports that 136 people have accessed the fund in the 10 months since launch, with £356 provided on average to assist victims with the cost of essentials such as travel, clothing and toiletries.
Women’s Aid says cost-of-living impact on domestic abuse “cannot be underestimated” and flee funds are “desperately needed”, especially as a Home Office pilot has now closed.
In March this year, the Government announced funding for a six-month national flee fund to be allocated and administered by Women’s Aid from their refuges and centres. The charity is calling for the government’s pilot to be extended and made permanent.