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A Study of the Effectiveness of a Housing Intervention for Battered Women Multnomah County Domestic Violence Coordinator’s Office, Chiquita Rollins, Principle Investigator February 9, 2007. Partners.
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A Study of the Effectiveness of a Housing Intervention for Battered WomenMultnomah County Domestic Violence Coordinator’s Office, Chiquita Rollins, Principle InvestigatorFebruary 9, 2007
Partners • Cooperative Agreement between Multnomah County Domestic Violence Coordinator’s Office and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). • Nancy Glass, Co-Principal Investigator, Johns Hopkins University • Oregon Health Sciences University, Volunteers of America Home Free Program, Raphael House of Portland, Dept. Human Services Self Sufficiency Program, Portland Impact • Charlene Baker, University of Hawaii and Phaedra Corso, University of Georgia
Collaborative Community Research Team • Domestic violence victim advocates and community partners included in shaping protocol and process • Survivor participation • Encompasses complexity of participants lives and resources utilized
Link between Domestic Violence and Housing • Poor or homeless women experience DV at higher rates and have fewer resources with which to seek/maintain safe and stable housing • From 22% to 57% of homeless women identify domestic violence as the main cause of their homelessness • 38% of all domestic violence victims become homeless at some point in their lives • 46% of homeless women reported that they had previously stayed in an abusive relationship because they had no where else to go
Impact of Housing Instability or Domestic Violence on Children • 47% of homeless school-aged children and 29% of homeless children under 5 have witnessed domestic violence • More than half of female domestic violence victims live in households with children under the age of 12 • Mothers with less stable financial, social, and living situations reported their children to have intervened more during past violent incidents.
Impact of Housing Instability on Children • Homelessness for children is not a brief episode or one-time experience. • More than one-fourth of homeless children have multiple episodes of homelessness • Homeless families move at a rate 16 times greater than that of the average American family • Frequent moves contribute to poor academic achievement, physical and emotional health problems, hunger, and problems later in life, (substance abuse and sexual risk taking) • Racism means that a disproportionate number of the homeless are children of color
Impact of Domestic Violence in Multnomah County • Estimated 28,000 victims; 60% have children • Over 50% of all reported violent crime, with 10,000 police reports/year (PPB DVRU) • Largest contributing factor to county and area homicides (25-30%) • Significant factor in 35% of long-term child abuse/neglect cases • 30,000 crisis calls annually to community-based hotlines • 15,000 domestic violence shelter bednights annually (single women and families) • Minimum cost to local government: $15 million annually • Cost to businesses estimated as $10 million
Response to Domestic Violence in Multnomah County • Multi-layered; multi-jurisdiction response • Criminal Justice System: 9-1-1, law enforcement (6 agencies), specialized police, DA and probation units, courts, jail, DVERT, defense bar; victim assistants • Civil Justice System: family court bench, restraining and stalking orders, custody, visitation, dependency • Victim Services System: crisis lines, 4 shelters, 7 culturally- or population-specific programs, housing, legal advocacy • TA-DVS • Other services: health care (OHP, county, private), mental health, A&D, public assistance (TANF, employment programs, etc.), other
Why Evaluate a Domestic Violence Housing Program? • Clear need for housing for victims of domestic violence • County/City/State and Federal governments all funding long-term housing services for victims • VOA Home Free and other domestic violence programs adopting housing first model • Current emphasis on Rapid Re-housing/Housing First without research on effectiveness with victims/women • Domestic violence has a significant negative impact and cost in our community and little or no cost effectiveness data related to domestic violence victim services of any kind
Importance of the Research Project • Fill the gaps in current research • Current housing research doesn’t consider effectiveness of housing first for victims and their children • Domestic violence research doesn’t consider impact of housing instability on victim’s abilities to stay safe and on children’s outcomes • Provide policy direction to funders and agencies • Funding priorities at OVW and HUD shifting to longer-term housing and to “proven practices” • Some housing policy creates barriers for victims and their children • Provide cost and efficacy information for local policy makers Reduce barriers to housing for victims • Correct misinformation about domestic violence and victims
Important Caveats • Permanent housing programs must be built on a basis of short-term emergency domestic violence shelters and crisis intervention • Permanent housing programs can not replace safety-focused crisis intervention and shelters • Permanent housing program must be safety-focused and address full range of victims needs
Study Design • Participants: Women domestic violence victims, age 18-64, who speak English or Spanish • Study begins at “post-crisis” stage of service delivery • Data collected: • Outcomes for women and their children • Cost of domestic violence and cost effectiveness of the housing models • Interviews at 6-month intervals for 18 months, with reimbursement • Qualitative interviews focusing on inter-relationships between housing and victimization • Cost effectiveness study • Process Study
Data Gathered: Victims and Children • Survivor self-reported data • Demographics • Income, housing stability, employment • IPV (type, frequency, severity) • Health, mental health, substance abuse • Social support and service utilization • Parent-child relationship • Children’s outcomes (health, exposure to violence, behavior, school achievement) • 6-month follow-up interviews will also ask about quality of services by partner agencies
Data Gathered: Cost and Cost Effectiveness • For the programmatic cost analysis: • All programmatic costs associated w VOA Home Free • For the Cost Effectiveness: • Client-specific programmatic costs associated with all 5 interventions • Client-specific costs associated with the use of Community Resources
Data Gathered: Cost and Cost Effectiveness • Domestic Violence victim services • Civil and Criminal justice system (LE, DA, Court, Probation, Defense bar, other legal assistance, etc.) • Health care systems • Welfare and child welfare systems • Housing • Cost to landlords, employers and the community • Other
Research: Qualitative Interviews • A subset of women will be interviewed in-depth • Their experiences in the various service types: what worked/didn’t work and for whom • Housing stability barriers and services • Relationship between domestic violence and its impact and housing stability
Housing Stability Index • Develop a housing stability index for each study participant • Analyze the housing stability index in relationship to outcomes for both the women and their children and the cost to the Community • Re-victimization or exposure to IPV • Physical and mental health of mother and children • Service utilization, etc.
Housing Stability Questions • How many times have you moved? • Have you had to live somewhere that you did not want to live? • Have you had difficulty or were unable to pay for your housing (e.g. rent/mortgage payment)? • Have you had to borrow money or ask friends/family or others for money to pay your rent/mortgage payment? • Have you had trouble with your landlord in the last six months? • landlord threatened to evict you? • been served an eviction notice? • Do you expect that you will be able to stay in your current housing for the next 6 months? • Have you had difficulty meeting your basic needs? • Have they been able to get enough food to eat for their your household in the last six months? • Have you had trouble getting housing in the last 6 months? • How likely is it that you will be able to pay for your housing this month? • Would you move to a new location if you could?
Results Will Include • Outcomes for women and children (safety, basic needs, physical/mental health, etc.) • Cost of domestic violence in our community • Identification of services most effective for specific groups of victims (based on housing history, level of danger or other characteristics) • Documentation of services available and utilization by participants • Impact of housing policy and practice
Policy Implications • Document proven practices in the domestic violence arena • Document impact of domestic violence and housing barriers on women • Justify/develop funding for additional housing programs • Identify possible improvements to service delivery models • Gain a better understanding of which populations are most likely to succeed in which housing programs • Show the relationship between children’s exposure to violence and housing stability • Provide direction for housing policies and funding priorities
Preliminary Data • 54 completed interviews as of February 1, 2007 • Average age is 36 with a range of 19-54 • Race/Ethnicity: • 48% White (84%) • 26% African-American (7%) • 17% Hispanic (15%) • 6% Native American (1%) and • 4% Bi-racial
Preliminary Data • Relationship status: • 48% single • 41% divorced/separated, • 11% married/living with a partner, • Children: • 22% have no children under the age of 16 • 54% have 1-2 children and • 24% have three children or more
Preliminary Data • 72% are not employed. • Education: • 22% do not have a high school degree or equivalent • 17% high school only 61% have some college/college degree or vocational school degree • Insurance: • 67% have public health insurance (OHP) • 17% on private insurance and • 17% have no health insurance • Basic needs: • 85% report having difficulties meeting their basic needs; • 46% do not have enough food for their families
Preliminary Data • Danger Assessment: • average number of ‘yes’ responses =12, • range from 2-19
Preliminary Data • Non-Partner services utilized: • 72% of the current sample has received the TA-DVS grant, regardless of referral agency • 94% saw a health care provider, range 1-10 providers • 85% received services from DHS Self-Sufficiency or Child Welfare • 82% utilized criminal justice/civil court services • 41% received other (non-partner) domestic violence services (1-4 agencies) • 41% received legal services and • 30% received housing services (most mentioned a single agency)
Preliminary Data • Housing Stability Indicators: • 82% of participants would move if they could • 70% believe that they will NOT be able to stay where they are currently living now • In the last 6 months: 17% have not moved; 20% moved 1 or 2 times; and 63% have moved at least 3 times, with 5 women moving 8 or more times • 56% report having trouble with landlords • 37% receiving eviction threats • 22% reporting evictions
Preliminary Data Conclusions • Victims in the study represent those at very high risk for re-assault and housing instability • Participants have high usage of community resources • Anecdotally – • Creative housing solutions • Long-term housing instability for many • Long-term victimization for many
Conclusions • Study has the potential to provide • Strong data for successful program models • Policy direction based on costs and on effectiveness • Information about range of victimization and effectiveness of responses • Dispel myths regarding victims in housing programs • Delineate the relationship between housing stability and victimization and other outcomes for victims and their children (health, mental health, parenting, financial, etc.) • More accurate estimate of costs of domestic violence in a community