\nBy Ariel Zwang <\/em>
\nOctober 24, 2018<\/em><\/p>\n
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, but unless there is a viral news story \u2014 Rob Porter, Ray Rice, Rihanna \u2014 there won\u2019t be enough conversation about this issue. Yet nearly 20 people are physically abused by an intimate partner in the U.S. every minute. So it is imperative that we keep working to improve our responses to domestic violence survivors<\/a>, including those that have long been effective, like shelter.<\/p>\n The first domestic violence shelters appeared in the 1970s. Over more than 40 years, these shelters have saved countless lives. Usually, in a secret location that the abuser can\u2019t know, they have provided many with the safest option available.<\/p>\n The confidential nature of domestic violence shelters<\/a> has been a critical component of keeping survivors safe, though it comes at a high price: Even friends and family cannot know the location of the survivor who is there.<\/p>\n This is why Safe Horizon \u2014 the victim assistance<\/a> organization where I am CEO \u2014 is pressing to pilot the first non-confidential or \u201copen<\/em>\u201d\u00a0domestic violence\u00a0shelter model in New York.<\/p>\n Three years ago, we began a needs assessment to learn how we can better support residents in domestic violence shelters. One finding emerged clearly: Many survivors need and want to remain engaged with their families and communities, but the current regulations in New York make that nearly impossible.<\/p>\n Those seeking shelter are placed in a \u201csafe<\/em>\u201d borough, which cannot include the borough where either the victim or the abuser currently resides or works. That often means being far away from the very support network that\u2019s especially vital in the midst of a family violence emergency.<\/p>\n The open\u00a0domestic violence\u00a0shelter model would allow residents to have loved ones visit the facility to help with grocery shopping, babysit during medical visits \u2014 or just connect together.<\/p>\n For some survivors, being in a place where they cannot be found is critical for their safety. For others, circumstances like custody issues or other court matters prevent them from disappearing.<\/p>\n Even when they can\u2019t really hide from the abuser, however,\u00a0domestic violence\u00a0survivors need a refuge, which also provides specialized services for them and their children to heal and rebuild their lives \u2014 to get safety planning, supportive trauma-informed counseling<\/a>, housing assistance, and assistance with food and income.<\/p>\n For example, Zee (not her real name), a resident at a\u00a0domestic violence\u00a0shelter in New York, fled a four-year abusive relationship with her child\u2019s father, because the violence was escalating dangerously and she became increasingly concerned for her child\u2019s safety. Choosing to go into\u00a0domestic violence\u00a0shelter helped to keep her and her child alive, but unexpected problems arose.<\/p>\n \u201cYou have a life outside of the shelter, but the confidential model makes that hard,<\/em>\u201d Zee told us. \u201cI don\u2019t see the people I\u2019m close to, because I need to make sure I am back by curfew.<\/em>\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n And the confidentiality requirement means that, though Zee\u2019s friends and family used to be a source of child care for her, they can\u2019t stay with her daughter at the shelter.<\/p>\n Confidential shelters are absolutely critical, but there are sometimes other needs to be met. We believe survivors should have a choice based on their individual circumstances and safety concerns. They are telling us that they could benefit immensely from an open shelter model, and so we must listen.<\/p>\n Read the original article here.<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Safe Horizon CEO Ariel Zwang explains how the open\u00a0domestic violence\u00a0shelter model could help improve survivors’ experiences in healing from domestic violence.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":{"id":9685,"alt_text":"Support children and families in domestic violence shelters","caption":"Peggy Duffy Memorial fund","description":"Support children and families in domestic violence shelters","media_type":"image","media_details":{"width":512,"height":512,"file":"2022\/07\/Safe-Horizon-Flower-Logo_TransparentThumbnail.png","filesize":31715,"sizes":{"medium":{"file":"Safe-Horizon-Flower-Logo_TransparentThumbnail-300x300.png","width":300,"height":300,"mime-type":"image\/png","filesize":18595,"source_url":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Safe-Horizon-Flower-Logo_TransparentThumbnail-300x300.png"},"thumbnail":{"file":"Safe-Horizon-Flower-Logo_TransparentThumbnail-150x150.png","width":150,"height":150,"mime-type":"image\/png","filesize":8008,"source_url":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Safe-Horizon-Flower-Logo_TransparentThumbnail-150x150.png"}},"image_meta":{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0","keywords":[]}},"post":9684,"source_url":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Safe-Horizon-Flower-Logo_TransparentThumbnail.png"},"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[72],"tags":[92,643,177,1325],"class_list":["post-6471","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-safe-horizon-in-the-news","tag-domestic-violence","tag-domestic-violence-awareness-month","tag-domestic-violence-shelter","tag-dvam","issue-domestic-violence"],"acf":{"page_header_title":"","page_header_excerpt":"","page_header_image":false,"show_author_bio":false,"original_url":"","related_initiative_title":"Want to learn more about our work?","related_initiative_link":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/policy-research\/","related_initiative_link_text":"Visit our Policy and Research Page","featured_posts":[{"ID":4995,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2017-11-06 15:59:52","post_date_gmt":"2017-11-06 15:59:52","post_content":" Our Domestic Violence Shelters provide temporary safe housing to survivors and their families in a supportive, welcoming environment. Shelters also provide resources beyond temporary housing\u2014including legal support, financial guidance, job placement, counseling, support groups, childcare, and more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n We offer eight shelters across the five boroughs. Our shelters are in confidential locations so survivors are able to heal in privacy and safety.Domestic Violence Takes a Devastating Toll on Victims, Their Children,\u00a0and Their Loved Ones<\/span><\/h1>\r\nExperiences of isolation, physical, emotional or economic abuse, and financial dependence leave many victims without the resources to build a new life for themselves and their children.\r\n\r\nFor survivors in crisis, domestic violence emergency shelters offer a safe refuge. Shelters have been found to reduce the frequency and intensity of ongoing violence and decrease depression. Shelters work\u2014they help end violence in one\u2019s life. But there is much more shelters can and should offer.\r\n\r\nThat\u2019s why Safe Horizon designed The Lang Report<\/a>,<\/em> a longitudinal needs assessment to learn how Safe Horizon\u2014and other service providers\u2014can better support emergency domestic violence shelter residents both during and after their stay in shelter.\r\n
Here\u2019s How We Conducted the Needs Assessment Over the Period of a Year:<\/span><\/h1>\r\n
![\"LangMethodologyGraphic\"](\"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/LangMethodologyGraphic.png\")
\r\nRecommendations and Findings<\/span><\/h1>\r\nFrom this, we learned what survivors truly need during and after shelter to thrive. Read below for our findings and related recommendations.\r\n
1. Increase Funding for Shelter Programs<\/span><\/h2>\r\nShelter works. After entering shelter, 95% of participants experienced a decrease in abuse. Yet in New York City, only 52% of hotline callers seeking shelter are linked to an emergency shelter space.\r\n\r\nNew York City and New York State should collaborate to increase the number of shelter beds available in New York City, with a focus on increasing the availability of beds for single adults and large families.<\/strong>\r\n
2. Improve Access to Trauma Treatment<\/span><\/h2>\r\nFamilies need support in reducing trauma reactions. Upon entering shelter, 68% of participants met criteria for clinical depression. Upon leaving shelter, 56% of participants still met criteria for clinical depression. Upon entering shelter, 57% of participants met criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder. Upon leaving shelter, 37% of participants still met criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder.\r\n\r\nThe current funding model for domestic violence shelters does not support the provision of trauma-focused counseling inside the shelter. And the capacity of community-based clinics to provide this service is extremely limited. Additional resources should be made available to meet this need.<\/strong>\r\n\r\nSafe Horizon is enhancing mental health services in our shelter program through NYC\u2019s Connections to Care program, and by opening on-site mental health satellite clinics within some of its shelters.\r\n
3. Enhance Financial Literacy and Job Training<\/span><\/h2>\r\nSurvivors need support to gain self-sufficiency. 77% of participants entered shelter unemployed. 71% of participants wanted a job or job training program.\r\n\r\nMany community-based educational and job training resources do not offer the flexibility or the trauma-informed approach that domestic violence survivors need. Furthermore, frequent disruptions in their living situation (i.e. the transition from emergency to transitional or homeless shelters, or from shelter to permanent housing, often at unpredictable intervals) prevent participants\u2019 from participating in these programs during their shelter stay.<\/strong>\r\n\r\nSafe Horizon is piloting a brief trauma-informed financial literacy program in our shelters, and developing new partnerships with job training programs.\r\n
4. Reduce Barriers to Affordable Housing<\/span><\/h2>\r\nSurvivors\u2019 number one concern is finding affordable housing. While 37% of participants were residing in their own home after leaving the emergency shelter program, 26% were living in homeless shelters.\r\n\r\nThe city has made strides in offering subsidized housing to shelter residents, but many barriers remain. The city should work with realtors and landlords to reduce these barriers, and should continue to invest in a wide range of affordable housing options, from permanent supportive housing to independent affordable housing units.<\/strong>\r\n\r\nSafe Horizon has hired a housing search coordinator who works with realtors and landlords to identify more affordable housing options for clients.\r\n
5. Make it Easier for Survivors to Maintain Community and Family Connections<\/span><\/h2>\r\nMany survivors need and want to remain engaged with their families and communities. Upon entering shelter, 73% wanted connection to people who can help them. Upon leaving shelter, 67% of participants reported feeling emotionally distant or cut off from their support network.\r\n\r\nNew York State and New York City should work together to provide greater flexibility for survivors seeking shelter, including allowing survivors to remain in their own borough or neighborhood and to have family members visit the shelter when the survivor assesses this to be a safe option and piloting an open shelter model. In addition, New York City should work with shelter providers to reduce the barriers to residents (including children) having overnight visits with family.<\/strong>\r\n\r\nSafe Horizon will advocate with city and state regulators to ease restrictive rules and pilot an open shelter model.\r\n\r\nTo view the full Lang Report, click here.<\/a>","post_title":"The Lang Report: 5 Recommendations To Better Support Domestic Violence Survivors","post_excerpt":"How can we better support domestic violence survivors who live in domestic violence shelters? Read the 5 ways we can support emergency domestic violence shelter residents.","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"5-ways-support-domestic-violence-survivors-shelter","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-06-10 13:08:04","post_modified_gmt":"2025-06-10 17:08:04","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"http:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/?p=4995","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"5","filter":"raw"},{"ID":836,"post_author":"4","post_date":"2016-06-10 18:27:32","post_date_gmt":"2016-06-10 18:27:32","post_content":"\n
Safe shelter when survivors need it most.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n","post_title":"Domestic Violence Shelters","post_excerpt":"Supporting survivors with immediate, safe housing in community while offering concrete resources, counseling, and financial, legal, and social support.","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"domestic-violence-shelters","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-05-20 16:15:40","post_modified_gmt":"2025-05-20 20:15:40","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"http:\/\/safehorizon.harbordev.co\/?page_id=836","menu_order":0,"post_type":"page","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"title_font_size":"42","sub-headline_placement":false,"custom_scripts":false},"yoast_head":"\n