Source: National Network to End Domestic Violence, Domestic Violence Counts 2010; U.S. Census Bureau, 2009 Population Estimates.

CA2,889

total

NY2,483

total

TX3,758

total FL2,057

total

MI1,834

total

AK44.0rate

ND40.2rate

SD26.1rate

NM39.8rate

DC42.9rate

In honor of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and the homeless families affected by violence, ICPH’s report highlights the importance of housing and supportive services for survivors.

Approximately 15.5 million children are exposed to domestic violence each year.1 In 2010, 17,113 adults and 20,406 children escaping abuse were served in emergency domestic violence shelters and transitional housing throughout the country, with another 33,129 adults and children receiving non-residential

assistance.2 Texas sheltered the most survivors (3,758) in 2010, while Alaska had the highest rate of survivors (44 per 100,000 persons [map 1]). These data likely represent an undercount, as only one-quarter to one-half of women who experience domestic violence report their abuse.3 Domestic violence has a devastating effect on women nationwide, but its prevalence among low-income and homeless women is especially high; approximately 91.6% of homeless mothers experience severe physical and/or sexual abuse during their lifetimes.4

a National Survey policy brief from ICPHoctoBER 2011

Housing Assistance Underfunded but Critical for Survivors of Domestic Violence

Source: National Center for Homeless Education, Education for Homeless Children and Youth Program Data Collection Summary, 2010; National Center for Homeless Education, Education for Homeless Children and Youth Program Data Collection Summary, 2011.

Number aNd rate of SHeltered SurvIvorS of domeStIC vIoleNCe (2010)

Map 1

30.0 – 44.0

20.0 – 29.9

15.0 – 19.9

10.0 – 14.9

5.4 – 9.9

Rate per 100,000U.S. average 12.2

Five highest rates are labeled. Data are classified using Jenk's optimization.

100500

1,000

Number of sheltered survivors of domestic violence

U.S. total 37,519

Five highest totals are labeled.

page 2 Housing Assistance Underfunded but critical for Survivors of Domestic Violence

Women facing domestic violence experience high rates of

depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and physical health

problems. These women are more likely to abuse alcohol and

drugs (15 and 9 times, respectively) than women who have not

suffered from violence.5 Hospitalization and trauma recovery

may necessitate leaves of absence from work, negatively impact-

ing women’s ability to support their families. Nationally, survi-

vors lose nearly 8.0 million days of paid work due to violence

each year. Physical assault and rape result in an average of $4.1

billion in direct medical care and mental health bills and $1.8

billion in indirect costs of lost productivity and present value of

lifetime earnings.6

Abuse can have severe and long-lasting effects on children’s

well being. Children who grow up in households where domes-

tic violence is prevalent are more likely to abuse drugs and

alcohol, attempt suicide, and have mental health problems.

These children often experience violence themselves. Men who

witnessed and experienced abuse as children are almost four

times more likely to perpetrate violence as adults. Women who

experienced childhood physical or sexual abuse are three times

more likely to be victimized as adults.7

Abused women are often cut off from social and financial

supports by their abusers, leaving them with few alternative

housing options. A Minnesota study revealed that one in three

women listed domestic violence as a primary reason for their

homelessness. Almost half (47.7%) of homeless women in Min-

nesota reported staying in abusive relationships because they had

nowhere else to go.8 Because battered women usually attempt to

leave their abusers several times before successfully escaping,

their children may experience multiple episodes of homelessness.

Women are less likely to report their abuse when they fear evic-

tion. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s

“one-strike” policy formerly allowed federally subsidized housing

providers to evict families for crimes or disturbances commit-

ted in the residence, regardless of cause or circumstance. One

study revealed that 11.1% of public and private housing evictions

are based solely on women’s histories as survivors of domestic

violence. Discrimination also prevents survivors from obtaining

housing.9 Over one-quarter (27.5%) of New York City housing

providers with vacancies either refused to rent or failed to follow

up upon learning that the tenant was a survivor of violence.10 The

2005 reauthorization of the federal Violence Against Women Act of

1994 added legal protection against eviction and discrimination to

survivors living in public housing and using Section 8 rental vouch-

ers, but enforcement has proved challenging. More than half (27)

of states lack any laws explicitly guaranteeing survivors freedom

from housing discrimination (map 2).11

Eighty-three percent (82.5%) of housing and supportive service

providers nationwide noted an increase in the demand for domes-

tic violence services in 2010, despite 77.4% of programs reporting

reduced funding. In 2010, the American Recovery and Reinvest-

ment Act provided temporary stimulus funds for 854 local domestic

violence programs. However, one in eight (13.2% or 5,686) women

and children seeking assistance were not provided shelter in the

same year (map 3). Massachusetts had both the highest percent

(45.2%) and number (619) of clients turned away, while states that

sheltered the greatest numbers of survivors —Texas (3,758), Califor-

nia (2,889), and New York (2,483) —reported relatively low rates of

unmet needs (7.7%, 9.7%, 9.3%, respectively). One quarter (24.0%)

of all programs cited lack of available beds or money for hotels as

a barrier to serving families in need. Due to budget restrictions,

some shelters have been forced to cut individual counseling and

child care programs, which is detrimental to mothers with young

children.12 Domestic violence shelters are critical resources to help

survivors escape their abusers and begin to rebuild their lives, yet

remain underfunded.

Note: Laws against domestic violence housing discrimination include, but are not limited to, defense against eviction; restrictions on the ability of public housing agencies to terminate tenancies or the requirement that they assist tenants who are forced to leave their housing; prohibition to waive tenant’s right to call law enforcement; requirement of landlords to release tenants from rental agreements; prohibit landlords from rejecting potential tenants based on their status as victims of domestic violence; or the ability to change locks for victims of domestic violence.Source: Legal Momentum, State Law Guide: Housing Protections for Victims of Domestic Violence and Sexual Violence and Stalking, January 2010.

TX

CA

MT

AZ

ID

NV

NM

IL

KS

OR

COUT

WYSD

IANE

FL

MN

OK

ND

WI

AL

WA

AR

MO

GA

LA

PA

MI NY

IN

KYNC

MS

VA

TN

OH

SC

ME

WV

AK

HI

MA

CT

RI

NJ

DE

MD

DC

VT NH

StateS wItH lawS agaINSt domeStIC vIoleNCe

HouSINg dISCrImINatIoN

Map 2

One or more laws

No laws

page 3 Housing Assistance Underfunded but critical for Survivors of Domestic Violence

www.ICPHusa.org

ICPHInstitute for

Children, Poverty & Homelessness

USA

The Institute for Children, Poverty, and Homelessness (ICPH) is an independent nonprofit research organization based in New York City. ICPH studies the impact of poverty on family and child well-being

and generates research that will enhance public policies and programs affecting poor or homeless children and their families. Specifically, ICPH examines the condition of extreme poverty in the United States and its effect on educational attainment, housing, employment, child welfare, domestic violence, and family wellness. Please visit our Web site for more information: www.ICPHusa.org.

Red, White, and Blue Book

NatioNal Survey of ProgramS aNd ServiceS for HomeleSS familieS

The National Survey of Programs and Services for Homeless Families is an online resource for service providers, advocates, researchers, and public policy makers working in the field of family homelessness. The Web site provides a state-by-state

snapshot of the interconnections between governmental and nonprofit work to end family homelessness. www.icprwb.org.

Ralph da costa Nunez, PhDPresident, Institute for Children, Poverty, and Homelessness

Matthew AdamsPrincipal Policy Analyst

Hannah curtisPolicy Analyst

TX7.7%

CA9.7%

NM6.8%

MT11.1%

AZ8.2%

CO19.3%

OR18.3%

MO9.8%

UT12.1%

ID23.2%

KS18.1%

NE23.9%

SD31.6%

ND26.8%

OK12.9%

WA36.9%

NY9.3%

GA16.6%

IL18.1%

IA13.4%

WI11.4%

AR11.4%

AL20.2%

MI9.6%

KY5.9%

MS23.8%

PA15.1%

IN6.5%

OH14.3%

TN11.5%

VA18.7%

MD 7.0%

VT6.4%

NH8.6%

MA 45.2%

NJ 15.4%CT 10.6%RI 23.0%

DC 10.1%

WY

NV3.2%

MN

LA3.0%

NC2.1%

SC5.0%

ME3.1%

FL4.2%

WV

DE 2.7%

AK11.0%

HI1.9%

Source: National Network to End Domestic Violence, Domestic Violence Counts 2010.

PerCeNt of uNmet domeStIC vIoleNCe SHelter requeStS (2010)

Map 3

Endnotes 1 National Network to End Domestic Violence, Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Fact Sheet, 2010. 2 National Network to End Domestic Violence, Domestic Violence Counts 2010: A 24-hour Census

of Domestic Violence Shelters and Services. 3 U.S. Department of Justice, Problem-oriented Guides for Police Problem-specific Guides Series No.

45: Domestic Violence, January 2007. 4 Ellen Bassuk, et al., “The Characteristics and Needs of Sheltered Homeless and Low-income

Housed Mothers,” The Journal of the American Medical Association 276, no. 8 (1996): 640 – 646. 5 National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Domestic Violence and Substance Abuse. 6 National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Costs of Intimate Partner Violence Against

Women in the United States, March 2003. 7 National Network to End Domestic Violence, Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Fact Sheet,

2010; Sujata Desai, et al., “Childhood Victimization and Subsequent Adult Revictimization Assessed in a Nationally Representative Sample of Women and Men,” Violence and Victims 17, no. 6 (2002): 639 – 653.

8 Wilder Research, 2009 Homeless Adults and Children in Minnesota Statewide Survey: Physical and Sexual Abuse, June 2010.

9 National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty, Lost Housing, Lost Safety: Survivors of Domestic Violence Experience Housing Denials and Evictions Across the Country, February 2007.

10 Anti-Discrimination Center of Metro New York, Adding Insult to Injury: Housing Discrimination Against Survivors of Domestic Violence, August 2005.

11 Legal Momentum, State Law Guide: Housing Protections for Victims of Domestic Violence and Sexual Violence and Stalking, January 2010.

12 National Network to End Domestic Violence, Domestic Violence Counts 2010.

25.0%– 45.2%

17.0%– 24.9%

10.2%– 16.9%

5.1%– 10.1%

1.9%– 5.0%

Not available

U.S. average 13.2%

Data are classified using Jenk's optimization.