Scottish Federation of Housing Associations pledges to support residents and staff.

The Scottish Federation of Housing Associations (SFHA) has pledged to support people experiencing domestic abuse.

The federation has signed up to the Make a Stand campaign, joining hundreds of other social housing organisations across the UK.

Make a Stand was launched last year by the Chartered Institute of Housing in partnership with the Domestic Abuse Housing Alliance and Women’s Aid.

It comes as figures show one in five women experience domestic abuse at some point, with two dying at the hands of their partner or ex-partner every week.

By signing up to the campaign, the SFHA has pledged to support residents and staff who are dealing with abuse, by providing information about services and developing an HR policy which takes the needs of people suffering abuse into account.

The federation has also named policy lead Zhan McIntyre as its champion to promote the campaign to staff and member organisations.

She said: “I am immensely proud to take this initiative forward at SFHA and with our members.

“By signing up to these pledges, SFHA is taking steps to provide the necessary help and advice for employees experiencing domestic abuse.

“We would urge all of our members to make a stand today and publicly commit to taking action to support their customers and workforce who are victims of domestic abuse.”