Homelessness and Power Based Violence
Homelessness has been an ongoing issue in a rapidly changing America. According to the 2019 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, over half a million people experienced homelessness on a given night in January 2019 alone. Since 2007 the rate of homeless Americans actually decreased a considerable amount. However, due to the economic crisis and further devastation the Covid-19 pandemic has caused, researchers believe that the numbers could rise.
With an increasing number of individuals experiencing homelessness in America it is necessary to address the intersection of power-based violence and homelessness. In a 2019 report on Los Angeles City Women’s Needs Assessment by the Downtown Women’s Center, it was reported that it was 45.6% and 45.0% more likely that a woman most often sleeping on the streets to have experienced sexual assault or domestic violence respectively in the past year than the general population. This data provides that women who experience power-based assault are more likely to become homeless. Furthermore, the report provides that, “women who have experienced domestic violence and sexual assault are more likely to become homeless, and the state of homelessness in itself is also a risk factor for first-time or further violence.” Similarly, a 2005 report states that one in four women who experience homelessness are so due to experiences with violence.
It must further be understood that the figures stated are likely not whole as women experiencing homelessness report less due to fear of retaliation or lack of meaningful assistance on the part of authorities. Understanding the lived experiences of survivors of violence is to understand that outcomes are influenced by their circumstances. Violence and trauma are major causes that lead to homelessness for women. Individuals are met with the options of staying in threatening situations or living on the streets, which can be just as dangerous. A number of factors contribute to the reason an individual may be homeless, however, the cycle of trauma may still follow, compounding with the increased dangers of living without a permanent place for shelter. These effects can be both physical and physiological, thus it must be ensured that to help these individuals a holistic approach is taken, to fully address and begin to heal trauma.
How can we help?
- Ensuring that shelters and housing for chronically homeless women provide a connection to trauma-informed services that offer access to holistic health care, addressing the emotional, physical, and mental health impacts of violence.
- Calling for the retraining authorities to better handle domestic violence situations to ensure the safety of all individuals.
- Supporting local homeless shelters through volunteer work or donations to ensure proper upkeep of facilities and that as many people can be sheltered, especially in the cold winter months.
It must be noted that power-based personal violence is not a gendered act, all individuals regardless of identification are affected by it. However, more data has been collected on the correlations between sexual assault and women.
