Most of us know someone whose life has been affected by domestic violence. Be it a family member, neighbor, or friend, we have seen how this extreme trauma, which is often generational in nature, can negatively impact mental health, economic stability, housing stability and physical health.
Many domestic violence programs offer housing through emergency shelters or short-term housing programs that cannot support long-term recovery from the trauma of domestic violence or address significant co-occurring disorders such as substance abuse or mental health issues. Additionally, because resources are in high demand at shelters and short-term programs, ancillary programs like mental health services or case management are not carried over once a guest leaves a program. This causes gaps in service, which can be harmful to healing and recovery from trauma.
Are you aware, on the night of January 22, 2020, approximately 1,515 people in Minnesota were fleeing or attempting to flee a violent situation and did not have access to shelter or another housing option? (Source: 2020 Violence Free Minnesota Safe Housing Survey, Violence Free Minnesota)
Did you know, domestic violence is the leading cause of homelessness for women and children?
The following are some key findings from the 2018 Minnesota Homeless Study: Statewide Report by Wilder Research (March 2020):
Compared to other homeless women, homeless women who had children with them were more likely to be fleeing domestic violence.
53% of women stayed in abusive situations because they had no other housing options.
38% of women had been in an abusive relationship during the last year.
33% left the last housing they were in because of abuse by someone they lived with.
Here are some additional resources that list the same type of findings:
Women who experienced interpersonal violence in the last year had almost four times the odds of reporting housing instability than women who did not experience interpersonal violence. (Source: Pavao J, Alvarez J, Baumrind N, Induni M, Kimerling R. Intimate partner violence and housing instability. Am J Prev Med. 2007 Feb;32(2):143-6. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2006.10.008. PMID: 17234488.)
The Corporation for Supportive Housing estimates that over 16,200 supportive housing units are needed to house and serve vulnerable people in Minnesota. (Source: https://www.csh.org/supportive-housing-101/data/.)
Another major problem is the shortage of affordable housing units in the Twin Cities metro area and a nation-wide ongoing issue of rent rising disproportionately to minimum wages.
There are 71,005 affordable and available housing units for the 173,319 extremely low-income renter households in Minnesota, or 41 affordable and available units per 100 households at or below extremely low income. (Source: National Low Income Housing Coalition, Out of Reach 2020.)
The 2020 National Housing Wage is $23.96/hr. for a modest two-bedroom rental home and $19.56/hr. for a modest one-bedroom rental home, while the federal minimum wage is $7.25/hr. Minnesota’s 2020 housing wage is $20.53 for a modest two-bedroom rental home and the MN state minimum wage is $10/hr. (Source: National Low Income Housing Coalition, Out of Reach 2020; Paycor.com/resource-center/minimum-wage-by-state.)
To sum this all up, Minnesota has a desperate need for supportive housing with a niche that addresses the specific needs of survivors of domestic violence. While most supportive housing program’s goals directly relate to reducing long-term homelessness, attention needs to be placed on the fact that there is a direct intersection of domestic violence and homelessness.
At Hope for the Brave, our mission is to provide safe haven while assisting women to become empowered to end the cycle of domestic violence.