Battered_Women

Axia college | Battered Women And Shelters | [Type the document subtitle] | | Dawn | 10/15/2010 | This is a short informative paper about battered women and getting them into shelters in hopes of keeping them away from harm. | In the United States male partners beat almost 4 million women every year. 50 % of all homeless women and their children are fleeing domestic violence. (Domestic, 1998) Battered women are probably society’s hardest population to find adequate, secure shelter for. Battered women with little or no resources have a hard time finding residency. Shelters are safe places where battered women and children can stay while they get help. Many times battered women go back to the batterer because they are not able to find shelter. When battered women try and find shelter they often come across problems set into motion by the abuser. Other problems, for instance, Federal funding of low income housing is at a significant low. HUD has a “One Strike Policy” that unfortunately errors against battered women and them getting and keeping shelter. HUD has started a program involving citizens and advocates called “Continuum of Care”. There is also the public Housing Authority that grants and gives “Section 8” Certificates to landlords. Many times battered women try to find secure shelter and end up back with the batterer because they are not able to find shelter. The Housing Opportunity Program Extension Act of 1996 (Extension Act) was first written was to help battered women by giving them first priority in receiving financial assistance. The Extension Act of 1996 changed the governing authority to the local government. Due to the fact that local authorities have taken the authority over it is no longer part of this Act to give battered women first priority for shelter. When battered women seek shelter often times they hit a wall of bricks due to situations that the batterer has put in their way. It could be bad credit problems or the batterer has cut them off from getting to any finances they may have. There is also a law called “One Strike Policy” that though it is meant to help actually hurts battered women.. This policy allows landlords to relieve tenants from their dwelling for even the littlest problem with the law. If the battered woman calls police to the residence because the batterer shows up she can put out of the dwelling. This definitely hurts battered women. HUD started a program involved advocates and citizens called “Continuum of Care”. This program receives funds from the Housing Urban Development Program also known as HUD. This program operates transitional housing for battered women. According to the Supportive Housing Program is provided to help homeless persons meet three overall goals: * achieve residential stability, * increase their skill levels and/or incomes, and * obtain greater self-determination (i.e., more influence over decisions that affect their lives). There is also the Public Housing Authority that grants and gives “Section 8” Certificates to landlords. These are residencies where if a family qualifies then the landlord is paid majority of his or her rent through the government. According to Domestic Violence (1998), if all women in the United States that where battered and victimized in 1993, held hands the human chain would stretch from New York City to beyond Los Angeles. Society can help battered women. We need to get the word out and promote battered women’s issues. On all levels, funding is in desperate need on all levels. According to Crites, L., and Coker, D. (Spring 1988), discussing the battered woman's emotional state, The Judges Journal article asserts that “unlike her abusive partner, most abused women do not repeat the abuse experience in a second relationship." [Only about 10% do experience violence in future relationships.] Finding these women shelter and getting these women out of the abusive relationship and getting complete inner and outer care could be the answer for helping battered women. Many times the counseling is not complete and after a period of time the abused women go back to the abuser. Volunteering at a women’s shelter may not be for everybody, however, this is another way to help battered women. Correia, A., & Rubin, J. (2001, November). Housing and battered women. National online resource center on violence against women. Domestic violence:battering women, physical abuse [article]. (1998). Berman, J., & McCrary, J. (n.d.). A house divided:policies on housing domestic violence must not undercut each other. Daily Journal, 1, 105. The Judges Journal, "What Therapists See That Judges May Miss", Crites, L., and Coker, D. (Spring 1988) p.43.