Domestic Violence

About 13 percent of homeless families report that they left their last residence due to violence or abuse.

Domestic violence is the immediate cause of homelessness for many women. Research reveals that domestic violence is one of the most common causes of homelessness for families because it can affect a woman’s risk of becoming homeless. Survivors of domestic violence are often isolated from support networks and financial resources by their abusers. As a result, they may lack steady income, employment history, credit history, and landlord references. They also often suffer from anxiety, panic disorder, major depression, and substance abuse.

Studies also suggest that many women experiencing homelessness are survivors of domestic violence. One study in Massachusetts found that 92 percent of homeless women had experienced severe physical or sexual assault at some point in their lives, 63 percent had been victims of violence by an intimate partner, and 32 percent had been assaulted by their current or most recent partner. Such studies suggest a correlation between domestic violence and homelessness.

Survivors of domestic violence have both short- and long-term housing needs. Immediately, survivors require safe housing away from the abuser. Ultimately, the family requires access to safe, stable, affordable housing.

A strong investment in affordable housing is crucial to this population, so that the family or woman is able to leave the shelter system as quickly as possible without returning to the abuser. One key challenge facing providers serving survivors of domestic violence is that safety and confidentiality concerns may make it difficult to track this group.

Spotlight

Conference Presentation  |  October 11, 2011
Keynote remarks by Nan Roman, president and CEO of the National Alliance to End Homelessness, at the Domestic Violence Housing First Symposium: Building on Our Past, Learning as We Go, sponsored by the Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Solutions Brief  |  March 15, 2011
| Communities are increasingly using homelessness prevention and rapid re-housing to meet the needs of domestic violence survivors. These brief goes over some effective strategies to assist survivors.

Library Resources

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Best Practice  |  April 8, 2010
This best practice document profiles the Empowerment Project of the District Alliance for Safe Housing (DASH), a domestic violence survivor housing and service agency in Washington, DC that provided a transition-in-place program that provided families with time-limited rental assistance and case management.
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Best Practice  |  March 15, 2010
This best practice document profiles Home Free, a domestic violence survivor service agency in Portland, OR that provides an array of services for families impacted by violence. Currently, the program provides rapid re-housing assistance to 80 to 100 households annually.
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Fact Sheets  |  January 11, 2010
Domestic violence is an immediate cause of homelessness for many women and children. In November 2006, over 22,000 victims of domestic violence—12,000 children and 10,000 adults—received housing services from 1,243 domestic violence service providers.
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Conference Presentation  |  February 8, 2008
Survivors of domestic violence face unique challenges that require unique solutions. These presentations from a conference workshop focused on increasing family safety and financial and housing security while helping families cope with and overcome the effects of trauma and violence.
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Audio  |  April 12, 2007
This edition of the Leadership to End Homelessness Audio Conference focused on Home Free, a program in Portland, OR that helps domestic violence survivors find safety and quickly gain permanent housing.