Domestic Violence in Public Housing
Being a woman subject to domestic violence is one of the most difficult and heartbreaking circumstances to be in; although I have never been personally a effected by domestic violence the stories I have heard are distressing to say the least. Crime in public housing is at an all time high, particularly crime involving domestic violence “The Police Department attributes 70 percent of the increase in public housing crime in the last three years to domestic violence. Officials said that they had a separate waiting list specifically for abused families seeking to move to other housing projects.” (Mierya Navarro. Domestic Violence Drives Up New York Shelter Population as Housing Options Are Scarce New York Times) As of recent domestic violence in New York is at a high, therefor leaving many women at a crossroads, to remain a victim or walk away. “Having walked away, victims of abuse are often left with no place to live and little means of support, and frequently end up homeless. In New York, this has helped drive the shelter population to a record high, with more than a quarter of all families in shelters citing abuse as the cause for their stay,” (Navarro) Mayor Bill De Blasio has made it one of his top concerns to remove the abused women from their temporary shelters into homes free of domestic violence and include counseling in public housing. “That’s why my administration is investing in reinforcing outreach at NYCHA, where domestic violence incidence is high, by making legal, health, housing and other resources more accessible to victims so they can be on a path to safety and stability and start rebuilding their lives.” (Mayor Billl De Blasio) By working on creating fifteen “housing developments that are part of the Mayor’s Action Plan for Neighborhood Safety to reduce crime.” (NYC.Gov) These housing developments will be a breakthrough for women who are victims of domestic violence, “OCDV will deploy NYCHA DVRT staff to conduct extensive grassroots outreach throughout the 15 targeted developments and surrounding communities, provide information about how to obtain domestic violence services, and directly connect residents to the dedicated NYCHA DVRT specialists in OCDV’s Family Justice Centers” (NYC.Gov) The impact Mayor De Blasio’s is making in a community riddled with domestic violence is life changing for these women, although there are many more factors and challenges he is yet to address and combat, “The need to keep whereabouts unknown to the abuser can limit apartment hunting and make the search more fraught, as victims find they must cut ties to their old neighborhoods. But time is of the essence. Economics — and emotions — can quickly lead women back to their abusers.” (Navarro) Shola Olatoye, the CEO and chair of NYCHA believes that addressing domestic violence is the first step in combating the issue, Olatoye expresses, “NYCHA is shining the spotlight on domestic violence and speaking up about the prevalence of this problem in our developments because, in order to successfully address this issue, it must first come out of the shadows…Everyone deserves to feel safe in their homes and that’s why, along with Mayor de Blasio, the Office to Combat Domestic Violence and other City agencies, we’re committed to supporting residents with access to helpful services and providing staff with education and training.” Mayor De Blasio’s valiant efforts to mend the broken lives of these victims has been monumental in the NYCHA community. These abused women who were once a victim to their circumstances will now be able to receive the care and treatment they deserve and that was ignored for so long. These fifteen new developments, which will be informed with services to combat domestic violence will only inevitably lead to a drastic drop in capacity at women’s shelters. Women leaving the shelters and coming into these new developments will be able to adapt to a feeling of stability and safety as opposed to uncertainty and fear.
Rachel Tabb
Is Domestic Violence in Public Housing Rising, or Just Our Awareness Of It?
The National Coalition for the Homeless reports that 63% of homeless women have been victims of domestic abuse. These women, if they are lucky enough to find themselves in temporary or public housing, are driven there by violence, and kept there by fear and poverty. This does not include the women being abused while living in public housing, a number which seems to have gone up drastically in the past year alone.
According to new destiny housing statistics released in 2013, 31% of homeless families are homeless due to domestic violence. While out of 28,000 supportive housing units, less than 100 units are set aside for victims of domestic abuse. This was in 2013, and it has since then improved, but only slightly.
The Daily News released an article in October, stating that domestic violence in New York Public Housing has doubled in the past year, which they attribute to Bill de Blasio giving homeless families priority over victims of domestic abuse. Monica McLaughlin from National Network to End Domestic Violence disagrees. “I don’t think the incidents are increasing,” She says, “I think the system is improving. We are giving these cases higher priority now, and documenting and handling them in a more productive way.”
The NNEDV was formed in 1990 to serve as a voice for all victims of domestic abuse. The organization mostly works to pass federal legislation relating to domestic violence, and in 1994 they began to work to pass the Violence Against Women Act. An Act which was passed in 2005, but recently renewed in 2013. It is obviously something McLaughlin takes great pride in, and for good reason.
“The Violence Against Women’s Act has played a huge role in improving the response to domestic and sexual violence, on a national level.” Says McLaughlin, “we wanted to renew the act because it did not speak for minorities, nor did it cover all those living in subsidized federal housing.”
But McLaughlin doesn’t have stars in her eyes. She realizes the endless work that still needs to be done to progress even an inch with this issue. That is why the NNEDV puts out an annual National Census of Domestic Violence Services. “Our National Census really spells out what we are getting right, and what still needs to be improved upon.” She says, “Unfortunately there is more of the latter.”
According to the National Census 2,487 domestic violence victims found refuge in emergency shelters or transitional housing provided by local domestic violence programs in one day. There were 572 unmet requests in one day, and 33% of those requests were for housing.
She went on to discuss with me, an article recently published in The New York Times titled, “Domestic Violence Drives Up New York Shelter Population as Housing Options Are Scarce” written by Mireya Navarro. The article discusses the progress made in NYCHA and the public police department in gaining control over the issue of domestic violence. The article states that the police department responded to approximately 21,453 more reports of domestic violence citywide this year than in 2013. Most assume that this is because the violence has increased, but city officials claim it is due to “increased awareness” which supports McLaughlin’s original theory.
So have we really gotten better at this? That would mean domestic violence figures have always been this high, and have gone ignored for far too long. These numbers aren’t new, they’re only new to us.
Evelyn Chapman
