I live in one of the most affluent counties in the U.S.  The lights are on at the local domestic violence shelter, but nobody’s home.  So, I shouldn’t have been surprised to hear at a Thursday morning breakfast meeting on homelessness that 80% of the homeless in our county are survivors of domestic violence.

The purpose of the meeting was to discuss pioneering ideas on linking employment and housing resources.  Since 80% of the homeless are DV survivors, I was shocked to hear that the jobs being created by the agency serving these women were in traditionally male careers:  construction and landscaping.

National Statistics on Homelessness and DV

Futures without Violence (formerly the Family Violence Prevention Fund) has compiled statistics linking domestic violence and homelessness.

39% of cities reported that in 2007 domestic violence was the primary reason families with children became homeless  (pages 11-12; chart 2.1).  In 2008, they reported that 48% of homelessness was caused by domestic violence and family disputes (page 19; chart 2.7).

Half of homeless women and children have experienced violence, and 92% of homeless mothers experienced severe physical or sexual assault. 

The National Network to End Domestic Violence reported that on September 15, 2011 domestic violence was the reason 67,399 adults and children needed to find a safe place to live.  (Click on the link to the press release to access the data from the 2011 Domestic Violence Counts report.)