Tough choices
During the pandemic, a domestic violence survivor in the Bay Area called Leena shared her story with the Desi Dost project from the safety of her car. It was she said, her safe space from an abusive ex-partner who lived with her.
Leena, a mother of two was recovering from shoulder surgery. She and her two young daughters were living off disability payments and Leena had few options for independent housing– she did not want to take her young girls to a shelter, but, without enough income, she could barely make rent. So Leena did the unimaginable. She invited her abusive ex-partner to be her roommate, so she could pay rent during Covid and avoid becoming homeless.
Deciding to live with intimate partner violence (IPV) instead of choosing a shelter is a complex decision that Leena made to stay housed. IPV, commonly referred to as domestic violence or DV, encompasses violence, abuse, or aggression committed by a former or current intimate partner, such as a spouse or dating partner.
A new study released last month by the University of California San Francisco reports that at least 17% of homeless people fled their homes because of IPV. Domestic violence is one of the major factors contributing to homelessness. However, survivors who flee their homes because of IPV and become homeless face innumerable barriers to getting housed again.
At a Feb. 16 briefing hosted by Ethnic Media Services and Blue Shield of California Foundation, advocates discussed the challenges around rehousing survivors and what measures could help.
IPV precipitates homelessness
The UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative study analyzed the impact of intimate partner violence on experiences of homelessness said lead researcher Dr. Anita Hargrave, assistant professor at UCSF.
Forty percent of participants who reported intimate partner violence in the six months leading up to homelessness indicated that violence was a reason for leaving their last housing. Leaving their homes was a survival strategy, even when they had rental subsidies. The need to ensure safety superseded usual protections against homelessness.
Once they left home, survivors stayed in domestic violence shelters or the general shelter system. However, some survivors experienced unsheltered homelessness. That meant they lived on streets, in parks, in cars or abandoned centers.
Barriers to shelter entry
When survivors wanted to enter domestic violence shelters they encountered barriers to access. Many shelters couldn’t house survivors needing shelter. Only about 5% of the survivors reported spending nights in a domestic violence shelter, while the majority of survivors reported that they had spent most of their nights unsheltered.
Low incomes and IPV proved a toxic combination for survivors. Twenty percent indicated that IPV was the primary reason they had extremely low incomes before homelessness; monthly household income was $600 less than the median rent for a one-bedroom in California. Financial insecurity forced Leena, abandoned by her own family and without an income, to turn to her abuser for rental help.
“Intimate partner violence can precipitate homelessness for many people, and is particularly dangerous for those that are at the economic margins,” said Hargrave.
High cost of housing
Ninety-five percent of all survivors reported that the high cost of housing was a barrier to exiting homelessness. 61% reported that poor credit or eviction history, which were often a consequence of intimate partner violence, were barriers to regaining housing.
The majority of respondents said that relatively modest financial support like a monthly subsidy or housing voucher would have helped them to avoid homelessness for at least two years – 83% indicated that a lump sum payment would have given them some financial stability.
“We need to support survivors’ basic economic needs by offering flexible funding assistance and permanent affordable housing,” said Hargrave.
California, which uses housing subsidies to make current housing more affordable, is one million units short of available and affordable housing for extremely low-income individuals. Currently, only one in four people who are eligible for federal rental assistance receive it.
The path to healing and stability
Survivors said that the pathway to housing stability and healing would depend on increased access to non-congregate trauma-informed domestic violence shelters, flexible financial support, specialized services for intimate partner violence, and support for finding permanent housing.
The UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative (BHHI) recommends that increasing access to affordable permanent housing would allow survivors to make swift exits from abusive situations and provide a safe space to heal while preventing homelessness. It would alleviate demand for domestic violence shelters so that they have more capacity to serve other survivors in moments of crisis.
“California, where the cost of living is high, survivors are stuck between a rock and a hard place with limited alternative housing options that would allow them to escape abuse while avoiding homelessness,” said Hargrave.
“As a result, many survivors are forced to make the impossible decision to remain in an abusive relationship or escape and face the risk of homelessness due to lack of available housing.”
Photo by Dan Farrell on Unsplash