International Women's Day 2023: Domestic Abuse & Housing Part 2: Points for practitioners

Our specialist housing law barristers covered practical issues facing legal practitioners, including the allocation of housing by local authorities, gatekeeping of applications for homelessness assistance and the suitability of accommodation.

Guest speakers included Rebecca Gowshawk from Solace Women's Aid and Izzy Mullholland of The Public Interest Law Centre who provided accounts of gatekeeping, unsuitable offers and other issues that women fleeing domestic abuse face.

Speaker Panel

Georgie Rea, Barrister, Garden Court Chambers (Chair)
Georgie is developing a broad public law practice, whilst specialising in housing and community care. Georgie has a detailed knowledge of possession proceedings, having previously worked as a self-employed County Court Advocate. She regularly conducts work across all areas of housing law, including homelessness, possession and disrepair, in addition to accommodation-related aspects of community care law. She provides practical advice relating to directions, evidence and creative settlement solutions in complex cases. Georgie has successfully defended possession claims brought by both private and public landlords, on statutory and public law grounds. Georgie's journey into tenancy was kicked off with her nomination as a finalist for Young Pro-Bono Barrister of the Year 2022.

Angharad Monk, Barrister, Garden Court Chambers
Angharad is a housing law specialist and conducts work across all areas of housing law. She regularly conducts work across all areas of housing law, including homelessness, allocations, possession, disrepair, in addition to accommodation-related aspects of community care law. Angharad’s comprehensive knowledge of housing law enables her to provide practical advice and creative solutions in complex cases. She is regularly instructed in anti-social behaviour cases and has worked with Liberty on strategic challenges to the abuse of the ASBCPA 2014 powers.

Rebecca Goshawk, Solace Women's Aid
Rebecca is responsible for managing Solace’s partnerships with organisations to harness the expertise of those within the Violence Against Women & Girls (VAWG) sector and beyond to benefit the lives of women and children. These partnerships allow Solace to work with other organisations across London to provide specialist support including counselling, advice and move-on accommodation.

Rebecca also leads Solace’s work on influencing the UK Government to seek changes in policy and legislation to support and improve the lives of survivors of domestic abuse and sexual violence. Solace campaigns with VAWG organisations and other bodies to highlight the challenges that survivors of domestic abuse and sexual violence face and barriers that need to be removed to allow them and their children to live safe and independent lives. 

Izzy Mullholland, The Public Interest Law Centre (PILC)
Izzy is a legal caseworker at the Public Interest Law Centre. She is working with Solace Women’s Aid on a project to defend and enforce the rights of those escaping sexual and domestic abuse. The research and casework conducted through this project is aimed at developing strategic litigation to enable survivors to access temporary and permanent housing.