Economy Takes Toll on Domestic Violence Victims

October 29, 2008

Sue Else, President
National Network to End Domestic Violence
202.543.5566

The ripple effect of an economic crisis touches each and every American. This is particularly true for victims of domestic violence who are seeking help to rebuild lives that have been shattered by an abuser. At a time when more and more victims are reaching out for support and services, domestic violence programs throughout the country are struggling to meet the increasing requests for help.

During stressful economic times, domestic violence programs across the country experience a significant upswing in requests for services by victims. This includes increased crisis calls to hotlines, and requests for shelter, counseling, legal services, transitional housing and services for children. A bad economy does not cause domestic violence; however, there are a number of factors linked to poor economic conditions that are closely associated with domestic violence.

Domestic violence is linked with unemployment, for example, as well as with poverty and its associated stressors. Victims experience an increase in the frequency and severity of abuse during hard economic times, in part because out-of-work abusers have more opportunity to batter. At the same time, service providers often have to cut back on services due to budget constraints, meaning that victims have decreased access to support and resources outside the home. Moreover, abuse often escalates as economic stresses increase. Rhode Island, for example, has recently seen a 25% increase in felony-level domestic violence crimes.

Domestic violence programs and shelters play a critical role in helping victims find safety and refuge from violence in the home. They are a safe haven for millions of families who have no other place to go when their lives are in danger. But the current reality of our nation´s economy has severely affected domestic violence programs and shelters - forcing draconian cuts in services and staff lay-offs at a time when more victims are coming forward for assistance. For the first time in decades, many shelters may have to close their doors by years´ end.

Domestic violence programs and shelters are being affected by a trio of economic factors - cuts in federal funding, increased demands for services and decreased private donations as so many Americans lose their jobs or see a downturn in their personal finances. As all Americans share in the effects of the recent crash of the housing market and total meltdown of Wall Street, times of economic downturn disproportionately affect battered women and the programs they turn to for help.

In 2007, the National Network to End Domestic Violence conducted its second annual 24-hour census of domestic violence shelters and programs across the nation. The Census report found that in one day, more than 53,000 women, men and children received services from local domestic violence programs. Over 25,000 of those individuals, of which more than 50% were children, found refuge in emergency shelters or transitional housing.

Yet tragically, on that same day more than 7,700 victims that sought services from their local domestic violence programs were not served because the programs didn´t have enough funding and resources. And this was the situation in communities throughout the country before the current economic crisis.

Even more shocking is the ongoing prevalence of domestic violence in the United States. The number of domestic violence victims is staggering: of all adult victims of domestic violence, 85% are women; 1 in 4 women will be affected in her lifetime; 15.5 million children will witness abuse against a parent every year; 3 women, on average, are murdered each day by their abusers; and the cost to taxpayers is an astounding $5.8 billion annually. The need for sufficient funding for domestic violence programs and shelters cannot be ignored or overstated, given the dangerous and potentially lethal nature of many of the victims´ circumstances.

However, in 2008, the major federal domestic violence program and shelter funding source, the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA), had its budget slashed by $2.1 million dollars. As a result, local domestic violence programs and shelters, already running on shoe-string budgets, simply cannot provide life saving services to all victims in need.

In addition, the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA), a federal grant program funded entirely by fines and penalties paid by offenders and does not include any taxpayer dollars, has been capped by Congress. VOCA grants are key funding sources for programs that directly assist victims. Across the country, thousands of community programs rely on VOCA funding to serve more than 4 million victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and other crimes. In the last year, the VOCA cap has been cut by $35 million; therefore, VOCA assistance grants are $107 million less than they were two years ago.

In order to provide domestic violence programs with the resources they need to adequately serve all victims of domestic violence, it is vital that both FVPSA and VOCA funding levels are increased. Without higher levels of funding, domestic violence programs across the country will continue to struggle to serve victims in their communities.

As the nation recognizes October as National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, all Americans have a role to play to ensure that adequate funding is available so that domestic violence victims´ calls for life-saving help are answered. This is a crisis that affects each of us -our friends, our neighbors, our families. It is time for us to join together and to take action. Together we can ensure that every victim of domestic violence, in every community in our country, can find a safe refuge, someone to call for help, and the ability to live free of violence and abuse.