Polly Neate, chief executive of Women’s Aid, says that the housing benefit cap would “undo all [the] good work” the government has done over the past two years to protect female victims of domestic violence, adding that “refuges form a tiny part of the welfare bill”.

She added that the current Archers storyline shows just how important women’s refuges are. “If Helen had access to specialist domestic abuse support in Ambridge, perhaps she would not be on trial,” she said.

Neate also pointed out that protecting women’s refuges is a matter of “economic sense” as well as ethical responsibility. “Each domestic homicide costs society £1.8 million, meaning that the loss of women’s lives due to domestic abuse costs the country over £14 million a month,” she said.

Julie Walters, a patron of Women’s Aid England, said that “domestic abuse is a human rights issue”.

“Women and children need the specialist support that refuges provide to reclaim their dignity and strength,”

A spokesman for the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) said that a review into the housing benefit cap is currently being conducted “to ensure it is sustainable in the long-term”.

“We fully support the valuable work carried out by domestic abuse refuges and other supported accommodation providers,” he said, adding: “We will continue working with providers to ensure the right protections are in place and will set out our plans in the autumn.”

Feel fired up by this story? Here's how you can help...

According to Women's Aid, Stylist readers can get involved to make a change - here's how:

Tweet the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP), calling on them to exempt refuges from the cap now with the following suggested tweet: "I am calling on @DWP to protect refuges & exempt them from the #LHAcap today @DWP @womensaid #saverefugessavelives https://www.womensaid.org.uk/sos/".
Write to your MP to raise awareness of the issue and ask them to write to DWP Ministers on your behalf. You can find our who your MP is by clicking here.
Check out Women’s Aid’s SOS campaign page to see more information and more actions you can take.

If you have suffered from domestic abuse of any kind, contact Woman’s Aid here, or call the free National Domestic Violence Helpline on 0808 2000 247. You can also contact Refuge by clicking here.

#FreeHelen: as The Archers' storyline grips listeners, the situation for domestic abuse victims is bleaker than ever