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  1 in 4 women in the US report physical/sexual assault by an intimate partner 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 Physical/mental health Employment/financial Relationships, social supports Housing

Domestic Violence and Housing Stability of Low-Income Women  Poor women experience domestic violence at higher rates and have fewer resources with which to seek/maintain safe and stable housing 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  Homelessness is only one part of a continuum of housing problems faced by women experiencing DV 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  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  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  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  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  Services organized into systems with little overlap :  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  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  Multi-layered; multi-jurisdiction response, focused on safety 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  Victim Services – overlaps with homeless plan, but more expansive 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  Emergency Shelters  TA-DVS  Motel Vouchers  Transitional Housing (facility- based 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  Need for crisis intervention, safety- focused 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?  No Housing First study that has focused on effectiveness for domestic violence victims  Women who secure housing reduce their chances of re- victimization  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 re- victimization  Will it shift funding from crisis intervention of emergency shelters?

Housing First for Domestic Violence Survivors  Finding and keeping housing is one of greatest barriers faced by women who leave abusers  Significant barriers include: 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  Barriers for some families to using DV emergency shelters 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  Housing for victims of domestic violence is critical need 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  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