Without Home and Without Shelter — How Can First Responders Help Victims of Domestic Violence During Disasters?
October 26, 2017
William Wubbenhorst, Associate Commissioner, Family & Youth Services Bureau
October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month , when we honor those who have been impacted by domestic violence, including remembering the lives that have been lost.
The CDC Division of Violence Prevention reports that 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men have experienced severe physical violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime . The most severe consequence of domestic violence, homicide, accounts for approximately ten percent of all murders in the U.S, and in recent years, female victims have made up 70 percent of those killed by an intimate partner (PDF).
Keeping domestic violence from escalating into homicide is possible if we all work together to engage a safety net of services and supports for those in need.
The Administration for Children and Families’ (ACF) Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB) has developed and maintained strong partnerships with several federal agencies through its Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA) Program. These partnerships leverage federal resources and support agency priorities to work towards identifying and preventing domestic violence in key service areas.
Addressing Family Homelessness through Safe Housing Partnerships
The Domestic Violence Housing TA Consortium (DVHTAC) provides technical assistance to domestic violence and homelessness service providers nationwide and conducts research and evaluation related to the intersection of domestic violence and homelessness.
It is a collaborative project between HHS, the Departments of Justice, Housing and Urban Development, the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, and four non-profit organizations with expertise at these intersections to better address housing needs of victims of domestic violence and their children.
http://safehousingpartnerships.org/
Addressing Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) in Health Care Settings
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and ACF have come together to ensure that healthcare providers expand their capacity to identify and support victims of intimate partner violence (IPV), such as domestic violence and sexual assault. Training, technical assistance, and capacity building efforts will be supported and implemented by FVPSA’s National Health Resource Center on Domestic Violence, a project of Futures Without Violence.
This project will assist four state leadership teams to scale up the previously successful pilot model to statewide levels. State leadership teams will support training and operationalization of screening, counseling, and universal education for IPV in HRSA-supported health centers.
http://ipvhealthpartners.org /
Primary Prevention of Domestic Violence
The goal of Prevent IPV is to address domestic violence prevention efforts at the societal, community, relationship, and individual levels by building the capacity of coalitions and community-based domestic violence programs to advance a comprehensive prevention agenda.
In partnership with the CDC National Center for Injury Prevention & Control, this online repository of tools and research is organized by the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence and FVPSA-funded State Domestic Violence Coalitions.
The National Domestic Violence Hotline for guidance and support from knowledgeable and well-trained advocates. The Hotline is available 24/7/365 at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or 1-800-787-3224 for TTY. Live online chat services are available every day from 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. CT at http://www.thehotline.org .
