Transcript Housing Stability and Intimate Partner Violence

Housing Stability and Intimate
Partner Violence
Multnomah County, Oregon’s Domestic Violence Coordinator’s Office
February 9, 2007
Prevalence of Domestic Violence/
Intimate Partner Abuse
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1 in 4 women in the US report
physical/sexual assault by an intimate
partner
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Young women, poor women at greater risk
Significant negative effects on multiple
areas of a survivor’s life which can
increase risk of poverty or homelessness
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Physical/mental health
Employment/financial
Relationships, social supports
Housing
Domestic Violence and Housing Stability
of Low-Income Women
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Poor women experience domestic
violence at higher rates and have
fewer resources with which to
seek/maintain safe and stable housing
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Nearly 2/3 of homeless women have been
assaulted by an adult partner
More than one-third (38%) of all domestic
violence survivors become homeless at some
point
22-57% of homeless women identify
domestic violence as main cause of their
homelessness
Domestic Violence and Housing Stability
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Homelessness is only one part of a
continuum of housing problems faced by
women experiencing DV
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Missed or late payments for rent/utilities
Compromises: selling belongings or skipping
food to make payments or staying with a
violent partner
Ruined credit
Apartment damage, bad rental history due to
partner’s actions
Discrimination based on status as victims
Domestic Violence and Housing Stability
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Obstacles to affordable housing may
seem insurmountable; many remain with
or return to abuser
High density/high violence in public
housing complexes may place women at
continued risk
Stalking, harassment, on-going violence
and threats by the perpetrator leads to
repeated choice between homelessness
and abuse
Denials, evictions, lease terminations
based on violence/abuser interference
Effects of Domestic Violence on Children
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More than ½ of domestic violence
survivors live in households with
children under 12
Witnessing violence has significant
negative impact on development,
behavior, education, health, mental
health, and increased risk taking
behaviors as adolescents and adults
Housing Instability and Children
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Families comprise 40% of homeless population and
is the fastest growing segment of homeless
60% of homeless women have children
47% of homeless school-aged children and 29% of
homeless children under 5 have witnessed domestic
violence in their families
Not a brief episode, on average, children are
homeless for 10 months at a time (an entire school
year)
Adverse effects
 Academic achievement
 Physical/emotional health (sick at 2x rate of
children with stable housing)
 Hunger
Domestic Violence in Multnomah
County
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Estimated 28,000 victims; 60% have children
Over 50% of all reported violent crime, with 10,000
police reports/year
Largest contributing factor to county and area
homicides (25-30%)
Significant factor in 35% of long-term child
abuse/neglect cases
30,000 crisis calls annually to community-based
hotlines
15,000 domestic violence shelter bednights annually
(single women and families)
Minimum cost to local government: $15 million
annually
Cost to businesses estimated as $10 million
Homelessness Intervention in Multnomah County
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Services organized into systems with little overlap:
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Homeless Family System
Homeless Youth System
Homeless Single Adults System (downtown homeless)
Domestic Violence System – includes both families and
singles
Street outreach
Day and overnight shelters
Transitional housing, including special needs, (54%
resources)
Low income housing
Short term rent assistance/motel vouchering
Prevention
Homelessness Intervention in Multnomah County
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Consolidated plan: County/City share
responsibilities for planning/contracting
homeless and DV services
Citizens Commission on Homelessness
oversees 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness
process
Coordinating Committee moves Plan forward
Numerous workgroups and initiatives
Coordinated Response to Domestic
Violence in Multnomah County
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Multi-layered; multi-jurisdiction response,
focused on safety
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Criminal Justice System: 9-1-1, law
enforcement (6 agencies), specialized police,
DA and probation units, courts, jail, DVERT,
defense bar
Civil Justice System: family court bench,
restraining and stalking orders, custody,
visitation, dependency, supervised visitation,
low cost legal representation
Domestic Violence Victim Services in
Multnomah County
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Victim Services – overlaps with homeless plan,
but more expansive
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24/7 Crisis/Access Lines
Emergency Shelters
Legal Advocacy and Representation
Mobile Advocacy/Non-Residential Services
Transitional/Permanent Housing
Culturally Specific Non-Residential Services
Services for Children Exposed to Batterers
Supervised Visitation/Safe Exchange
Co-located services (police, Child Welfare,
other)
Existing Domestic Violence-Specific Housing
Interventions in Multnomah County
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Emergency Shelters
TA-DVS
Motel Vouchers
Transitional Housing (facilitybased and scattered site)
VOA Home Free
 Mobile advocacy with limited
short term rent assistance
 Housing First-permanent
housing with DV-specific
support services
Housing First as Expansion of Current
Services
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Need for crisis intervention, safetyfocused services forms base for
Housing First
Domestic Violence Emergency
Shelters are essential to victims’
safety
Shelters work – reduce re-assault
by 50-70%
Should We Move to Housing First
Model?
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No Housing First study that has focused on effectiveness for
domestic violence victims
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Women who secure housing reduce their chances of revictimization
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Women who move to housing where “the abuser can’t find
them” are more likely to be re-assaulted by the most
dangerous abusers
Women linked with advocates during post-crisis period report
higher quality of life, more social supports and less revictimization
Will it shift funding from crisis intervention of emergency
shelters?
Housing First for Domestic Violence
Survivors
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Finding and keeping housing is one
of greatest barriers faced by women
who leave abusers
Significant barriers include:
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Lack of housing resources: Average
length of stay in shelter increased from
7 days in 1991 to 20+ days in 2006
Many victims not eligible for housing
services due to credit, landlord or
criminal justice problems
Housing First: Fills the Gap for
Underserved Survivors
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Barriers for some families to using
DV emergency shelters
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Family size, composition or age of
children, pets
Substance abuse, mental illness or other
problem with communal living
Language/cultural barriers
Community support systems, barriers or
pressures
Conclusion
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Housing for victims of domestic violence is
critical need
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Requires additional funding and support
Working with landlords to help overcome barriers
based on credit or rental history
HUD focus on “special needs” and definition of
chronic homelessness limits federal housing
support
Short term crisis intervention/stabilization
period needed
Conclusions
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Housing programs for women and families must
screen for and address domestic violence, safety
planning and legal recourse
Housing programs/policies must take into account
batterers on-going stalking, harassment and
assaults
Training for staff must include information about
domestic violence and counter prevailing myth that
“once a victim, always a victim”
Housing services for victims must link to other
community resources vital for safety (law
enforcement, courts, protection orders)
Children exposed to batterers need specialized
services
And Finally
Survivor focused
 Partnerships, partnerships
 Flexibility, creativity and
advocacy
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