Seeking public assistance to escape violence : a study on relocation co-created with women with lived experience of homelessness

Why are so few women given public assistance to relocate away from violence? This article will try to answer this question using findings from a study co-created by women with lived experiences and academic researchers. Public assistance for this group is, in Sweden, a right granted by the national Social Services Act, but a significant proportion of women in need of it do not receive it. A survey of local social services reveals a pattern of chance, low priorities, and lack of awareness of this group within the public administration. The pattern is the same for women with children, in spite of their additional legal protection.