Domestic Violence and Homelessness
by Kelly M. Glenn
There are many contributing factors to explain why 63% of homeless women have experienced intimate partner violence as adults.1 As a result of financial abuse and oppression by a partner, many domestic violence victims have poor credit, rental, and employment history, making it difficult to obtain a loan or sign a lease without a co-signer. Because victims often become isolated from support systems during the abusive relationship, they have few to none they can call on to assist them with financial commitments.
And financial abuse and oppression are not the only contributing factors to the homelessness of domestic violence victims. Domestic violence victims often suffer from unhealed trauma in the form of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, which can lead to mental health conditions and addictions to substances that serve as unhealthy coping mechanisms. This makes it even more challenging for a survivor who has left the abuser to maintain employment and benefits that they and their children may need.
Finally, competitive housing and rental markets impact the domestic violence victim more severely than the average citizen. Affordable housing is a tremendous obstacle for domestic violence victims who want to leave their abusers. Over 80% of domestic violence survivors entering shelters identified “finding housing I can afford” as a need, second only to “safety for myself.”2
While there are no fast and easy answers to healing trauma and fixing the competitive housing and rental markets, victims can take steps to prepare for financial independence from their abusers and reduce the likelihood of becoming homeless. Click here for more resources on financial empowerment.
Sources
1Browne, A. 1998. “Responding to the Needs of Low Income and Homeless Women Who are Survivors of Family Violence.” Journal of American Medical Women’s Association. 53(2): 57-64
2Eleanor Lyon and Shannon Lane, Meeting Survivor’s Needs: A Multi-State Study of Domestic Violence Shelter Experiences, Feb 18,
2009.
Suggested Citation for this Article
Glenn, K.M., Criminal Justice Know How, LLC, October 2020, Domestic Violence and Homelessness https://criminaljusticeknowhow.com/domestic-violence-and-homelessness/.
