§12471 Findings

Summary

Congress finds that domestic violence is a major cause of homelessness and makes it hard for victims to get safe, stable housing. In cities surveyed, 44 percent named domestic violence as a main cause of homelessness. Ninety-two percent of homeless women have faced severe physical or sexual abuse. Sixty percent of homeless women and children had been abused by age 12, and 63 percent were victims of intimate partner violence as adults. Victims are often denied or evicted from public or subsidized housing; legal aid groups documented almost 150 such evictions in one year and nearly 100 denied housing cases. Emergency shelter needs rose in 78 percent of U.S. cities surveyed in 2004, and 32 percent of family shelter requests went unmet. The average emergency shelter stay is 60 days, while finding housing takes 6 to 10 months, so many return to abusers. There are not enough Federal rent vouchers; some people wait years and some lists are closed. Transitional housing helps many avoid returning to abusers. Abusers also often control money, leaving victims without steady income, credit, references, or a current address. Victims in rural areas face extra problems like isolation, poverty, poor transportation, less health care and insurance, confidentiality issues, and less access to education, jobs, and childcare. Congress and the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development have recognized that these families need special attention in Federal housing programs.