English
SpanishDomestic violence a major cause of homelessness
Homelessness is a continued crisis in our country, state and local community and an issue to be acknowledged during National Homeless Awareness Week, November 12-20, 2016. The Campaign to End Homelessness reports a total of 97,642 people in Michigan who were homeless during 2014. In Northwest Lower Michigan during the same timeframe, more than 7,500 children and adults were homeless; roughly 4,200 living with friends and 3,300 living on the streets or in shelters.
There are many causes of homelessness including poverty, untreated mental illness, natural disasters, loss of employment and substance abuse. What many don’t realize is that more than half of the homeless nationwide are families with children and many of those are forced into homelessness because of violence in the home. According to The National Center on Family Homelessness, domestic violence is the immediate cause of homelessness for 50% of all women who are homeless.
Domestic violence involves physical, emotional, psychological, sexual and/or economic abuse within a highly controlled, intimate partner relationship. When a survivor is able to escape an abusive relationship, they are often forced to leave their own home. Often they have nowhere to turn because the abuser has deliberately cut them off from the support of friends and family and resources needed to leave. Many survivors arrive at the Women’s Resource Center of Northern Michigan (WRCNM) Safe Home without basic necessities such as clothing, personal care items, or money. They are then faced with the daunting task of finding and securing safe and affordable housing.
The Safe Home provides survivors with a caring, supportive place to stay while they regain control of their lives. Last year, the Safe Home provided 2,898 nights of refuge to 133 women and children from Antrim, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Emmet and Otsego counties.
Since 1977, the WRCNM has helped thousands of women on their journey to a more positive future free from violence. Yet, if we as a community truly want to end violence against women and its resulting effects, such as homelessness, we need more people to acknowledge this societal problem and stand up to speak out against it. For more information or support, call the WRCNM’s 24-Hour crisis and information line, at (231) 347-0082 or visit www.wrcnm.org.
There are many causes of homelessness including poverty, untreated mental illness, natural disasters, loss of employment and substance abuse. What many don’t realize is that more than half of the homeless nationwide are families with children and many of those are forced into homelessness because of violence in the home. According to The National Center on Family Homelessness, domestic violence is the immediate cause of homelessness for 50% of all women who are homeless.
Domestic violence involves physical, emotional, psychological, sexual and/or economic abuse within a highly controlled, intimate partner relationship. When a survivor is able to escape an abusive relationship, they are often forced to leave their own home. Often they have nowhere to turn because the abuser has deliberately cut them off from the support of friends and family and resources needed to leave. Many survivors arrive at the Women’s Resource Center of Northern Michigan (WRCNM) Safe Home without basic necessities such as clothing, personal care items, or money. They are then faced with the daunting task of finding and securing safe and affordable housing.
The Safe Home provides survivors with a caring, supportive place to stay while they regain control of their lives. Last year, the Safe Home provided 2,898 nights of refuge to 133 women and children from Antrim, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Emmet and Otsego counties.
Since 1977, the WRCNM has helped thousands of women on their journey to a more positive future free from violence. Yet, if we as a community truly want to end violence against women and its resulting effects, such as homelessness, we need more people to acknowledge this societal problem and stand up to speak out against it. For more information or support, call the WRCNM’s 24-Hour crisis and information line, at (231) 347-0082 or visit www.wrcnm.org.