WUNRN
Feb 27, 2009
Three-quarters of domestic violence victims rate the assistance they
received at a shelter as “very helpful” and another 18 percent say it was
“helpful.” If the shelter did not exist, most victims say they would have
become homeless, lost everything, done something desperate, or faced continued,
life-threatening abuse. Those are among the results of Meeting
Survivors’ Needs: A Multi-State Study of Domestic Violence Shelter Experiences,
a comprehensive federally-funded study based on a survey of 3,410 people served
by domestic violence shelters in eight states during a six-month period in 2007
and 2008.
“The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) is proud to have administered this
study, which will help us better understand the challenges facing domestic
violence survivors,” said NIJ Acting Director Kristina Rose. “Domestic violence
shelters are a critical resource for keeping victims and their children safe.
The data from this study will be instrumental in enhancing the coordinated
community response to violence against women.”
Meeting Survivors’ Needs finds that the most victims
staying at domestic violence shelters are 18 to 34, and have children under age
18. One in four (24 percent) had stayed at a shelter before the visit during
which they took this survey. Ninety-two percent say they “know more ways to
plan for my safety” because of the shelter, 85 percent know more about
community resources, and 84 percent of those who are mothers say “my children
feel more supported” as a result of their shelter stay.
“This study shows conclusively that the nation’s domestic violence shelters are
meeting both the urgent and longer-term needs of victims of violence, and
helping them protect themselves and their children,” said Dr. Eleanor Lyon of
the University of Connecticut, Institute for Violence Prevention and Reduction
at the School of Social Work, who was the study’s primary researcher. “Victims
attribute meaningful change to the help they received at the shelter, but they
also see areas where there is room for improvement.”
One-quarter of shelter residents (24 percent) faced transportation challenges, and 54 of those challenges were resolved. One-third (32 percent) say they had conflicts with other residents, and 73 percent of those conflicts were resolved, Meeting Survivors’ Needs finds. Among its other findings:
The study also found that some victims say the shelter was unable to fully
meet their needs related to housing, education and finance, as well as their
emotional, mental health and physical health needs.
Meeting Survivors’ Needs is based on surveys of residents of 215 domestic
violence shelters in Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, New Mexico,
Oklahoma, Tennessee and Washington.
Shelter residents were asked to complete a written survey at or near entrance,
and again at or near exit. It was conducted by the University of Connecticut’s
Institute for Violence Prevention and Reduction at the School of Social Work in
collaboration with the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence, a project
of the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence. It was funded by the
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, and administered by the
National Institute of Justice.
A second study, released by the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV) one week earlier, found that on one day in America more than 20,000 victims of domestic violence and their children fled their homes because they feared for their lives. The National Census of Domestic Violence Services finds that, on September 17, 2008, despite difficulty in raising funds for core services, domestic violence programs nationwide provided services to 60,799 adults and children in just that one day. In addition:
Despite the many victims who received services, an additional 8,927 requests
for assistance were unmet because of limited funding.
Every year NNEDV conducts a 24-hour survey of domestic violence programs across
the country to capture a snapshot of domestic violence and service providers in
the United States.
The National Census of Domestic Violence Services
is available online at www.nnedv.org/census.
Meeting Survivors’ Needs is available at www.vawnet.org.
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