There are many reasons a person can become homeless. A person might loose their job, or just not have enough income to pay the rent. Those are just a few of many ways a person can end up homeless. One reason for homelessness is domestic violence. "When a woman chooses to leave an abusive relationship, she often has no place to go" (NCH fact sheet #8). I feel that this is true, women often have nowhere to turn expect to the streets. .
Domestic Violence happens in every income level, but the majority tends to be in households with financial problems. One study I found showed that families with a income of $10,000 or less, 143 women were threatened to be hit, 94 were slapped repeatedly, 72 hit with objects, 30 were beaten up, 15 were chocked, and 13 were threatened with a knife or gun (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 163). I think it is obvious that domestic violence starts with a low income and eventually leads to homelessness. .
Many studies have been done to show the contribution of domestic violence to homelessness, especially among families with children. "A 1990 Ford Foundation study found that 50% of homeless women and children were fleeing abuse" (Zora, 1991). I think that is a huge number and it goes to show that the relationship between domestic violence and homelessness does exist. .
As you can plainly see the statistics show that the correlation between domestic violence and homelessness. These statistics only show numbers and not some of the reason why most battered women can't get off the streets. Some battered women end up on the streets because they have trouble finding refuge in public shelters for homeless people. Most homeless shelters do not function as "safe house." A safe house is geared more towards helping women in domestic violence situations. This leaves a battered women with two choices, one stay with the abuser or live on the streets.
One thing I picked from all this is that battered women have difficulty keeping a job.
