| ISSUES
Violence against women is a Serious,
Widespread Social Problem in America: The Facts
Each year 4 million American women suffer from serious physical
assault by an intimate.
Nearly 1 in 3 adult women experience at least one physical
assault by a partner during adulthood.
1 in 3 women also report being sexually abused and/or raped by a
husband or boyfriend.
Domestic Violence crosses ethnic, racial, age,
national origin, sexual orientation, religious and socioeconomic
lines.
Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault are
Direct Links to Homelessness
Domestic violence is the #1 cause of homelessness in females.
Statistics indicate that more than 25% of women in emergency and
transitional shelters were victims of domestic violence.
Emergency shelters are only the beginning of the road to
recovery from homelessness, hopelessness and domestic violence.
Because Federal legislation mandates a maximum of 45 days in an
emergency shelter, many women leave the shelters with nowhere to
turn after a brutal beating or violent rape. Transitional homes,
such as Barrett, are an important link in the societal continuum –
assisting women along the path to workforce re-entry,
self-sufficiency and societal contribution.
In all of Hampton Roads, we have 225 beds for the
homeless and victims of violent domestic/sexual abuse. As of 2006,
there were over 2,900 individuals in need of these beds.
(Sources:
Cities of VB, Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth; Bureau of Justice;
American Psychological Assn)
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