Sir, - I am writing in connection with the recent 2nd Annual Housing Conference, to bring to the attention of your readers the serious situation that many of the men who contact Amen (the Support Group for Male Victims of Domestic Abuse) find themselves in.
Our callers are often forced to leave their homes for a variety of reasons and they often have nowhere to go. Some have to stay in men's hostels while others end up sleeping rough - in cars, sheds etc. Even though they can no longer stay in their family homes, most men are the sole or main provider for their families and consequently must continue to pay rent/mortgage and pay maintenance for dependent spouses and children. Because of their financial commitments, only those who are highly paid or very well off can afford to buy a second house. One man who came to us this week is left with just £20 per week to live on while another has money for himself only if he works overtime.
The affects this can have on their lives can be devastating. Among other things, they find themselves in a position where they can no longer fulfil their parental obligations to their children. We know of many separated men who are unable to exercise the custody and access arrangements ordered by the courts because they do not have suitable accommodation.
There are two separate issues to be addressed here: the emergency short-term situation that some men find themselves in; and the long-term housing needs of men and fathers who can no longer reside in the family home for whatever reason. Both issues must be addressed by changes in housing policy at national level and local level. The long-term problem must be solved by treating all fathers with dependant children as "family units" for housing purposes and they must be provided with housing which can adequately accommodate their children. Full account must also be taken of their uniquely demanding financial circumstances. In the short-term, local authorities should be obliged to provide or fund suitable accommodation for men and their children who have to leave their homes until they obtain suitable long-term accommodation and men should be made aware of the availability of such assistance.
The State has seen fit to introduce a substantial body of legislation on family issues, including the Judicial Separation Act, which contains provisions relating to the family home and other property. Though it may not have been the intention, the net effect for many men is that they have been left homeless, living in sub-standard accommodation and their fatherhood effectively destroyed. This amounts to an attack on children's rights, family rights, human rights and men's rights. - Yours, etc., Mary T. Cleary,
AMEN, Navan, Co Meath.