Domestic Violence: Leading Cause of Homelessness in US - Essay Sample

Domestic violence is considered to be one of the leading causes of homelessness in the United States. According to a survey by the Women Rights Project, one-third of homeless women and children in America were current or recent victims of domestic violence. Domestic violence has, for long, been one of the most prevalent social challenges in the community and families. It is important to note that both men and women are victims of domestic violence (Sullivan, 2018). Women reportedly constitute the largest percentage, one-third of domestic violence, followed by men and children, respectively (Sullivan, 2018). Most of the victims leave voluntarily or are forced to leave from their homes, and they may end up homeless or secured in homeless people shelters. Although the homeless shelters offer a temporary roof over their heads, other challenges face the shelters and the people who are sheltered in them (James & Gilliland, 2016). It is important to address and analyze the victims' interactions and experiences and how experiences impact their existence in the shelters.

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For crisis intervention in the community, several players will be called upon to collaborate and provide the strategies and solutions for mitigating the problems. I will collaborate with several organizations and institutions to provide the community-based crisis intervention. The first organization is the National Organization for Victim Assistance (NOVA), which helps victims who have experienced traumatic experiences. My collaboration with NOVA is important since most of the victims who are homeless and in shelters are a result of traumatic experiences that may affect their lives not only socially and economically but also mentally and emotionally (Nunan, 2009). The other organization I will work with is the Feeding America organization that provides food to homeless people in shelters or streets. Lastly, the Housing Assistance Council provides shelters for the homeless temporarily (Nunan, 2009). These are reputable organizations that offer the most important services to victims of domestic violence and the homeless; their inclusion and contribution will help comfort the victims in the community.

I would contact the organizations officially by writing or personally. I would present and explain the problems facing the community. In this case, I will provide a statistical overview of domestic violence experiences for the victims who are mainly women and children. I will also explain that domestic violence results in most victims being homeless. The homeless victims do not have basic needs like food, shelter, and clothing. Therefore, it is our responsibility as a community to look after those who are less privileged in the community by providing them with basic needs. I will also ask the organizations to give me permission to lead them to the community and observe the situation themselves.

Several challenges may face shelters. Security and confidentiality are a major concern in community shelters. Most shelters are situated in the neighborhoods from where the victims are from, and the abusive partners may find out they are there and pursue to attack them. Therefore, it is important to keep confidential on the whereabouts of the victim to prevent their attackers from reaching to them. Furthermore, if the is enough funding, the shelters can be fenced or provided with security to protect the victims (James & Gilliland, 2016). The shelters have a challenge of staffing, whereby they experience inadequate staffing, either the staff present does not have professional training, or there are fewer than enough staff. Therefore, apart from the staff, volunteers should be called upon to provide shelter services to the victims.

Several ethical challenges have been experienced when working in community shelters consisting of personal boundaries and autonomy. Some victims want respect for their autonomy in decision making, choosing treatment, and the staff that attends to their needs. The existence or need to enhance autonomy may infringe on the conditions or principles of the shelter. Therefore, it is important to understand the demands of the victims about the shelter principles (Nunan, 2009). The other ethical concern entails the procedures and techniques for providing service to the victims can put some victims or staff in danger. Allowing the victims to be sheltered indiscriminately without considering gender, age, religion, and political affiliations may risk altercations among the victims or even the staff. Some victims may attack others or the staff due to belief differences (Nunan, 2009). Shelters may also report cases of rape and sexual harassment among people of different genders and ages. Its, therefore, important to shelter victims while putting their differences into consideration.

In general, domestic violence is a big problem in the community, and it requires the involvement of social stakeholders to find a solution. Meanwhile, is it results in homelessness, there is a need for the community to protect the victims. This security can be provided through shelters. While it is evident the shelters face several challenges; it is important to consider the social and individual needs of the domestic violence victims in the shelters.

References

Nunan, C. (2009). Women's domestic violence and homelessness. Parity, 22(10), 7.

Sullivan, C. M. (2018). Understanding how domestic violence support services promote survivor well-being: A conceptual model. Journal of family violence, 33(2), 123-131.

James, R.K., & Gilliland, B. E. (2016). Crisis Intervention Strategies. (8th Ed.). Cengage Learning