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Learn More About Domestic Violence and Homelessness

BY JUDITH TACKETT

“Kate faced a gut-wrenching choice between staying in a violent home or facing homelessness.”

“I'm 72 and escaped domestic violence. Now I'm homeless.”

“Some might say that I don’t fit the mold of a victim of domestic violence, since I am a trained Professional Fighter. But I am here to tell you that Domestic Abuse does not discriminate. It CAN and DOES affect all walks of life.”

These sentences are randomly taken from some of the survivor stories I found online. Story after story sounded similar because each one was about complete control of one person over another, and yet the trauma is personal for each survivor.

October is Domestic Violence Awareness month. The Nashville Banner recently dedicated a series of articles about this issue, and Nashville’s Vice Mayor Angie Henderson together with Erin Evans, the chair of the Metro Council’s Public Health and Safety Committee, are holding three special called meetings this month about domestic violence in Davidson County.

While I usually do not focus on covering topics based on awareness months, I believe it is crucial for us to talk about the interconnectedness of Domestic Violence (DV), Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) and homelessness. (I will be using the term DV in this column.)

Currently, 239 individuals are listed on our local By Name List of DV survivors. This is a 25 percent decrease from a year ago.

I received that information from The Mary Parrish Center, a local DV provider that offers, “safe, accessible and compassionate housing with individual care that promotes healing, autonomy and hope.” The Mary Parrish Center manages the coordinated entry process for DV survivors in Nashville, which in turns creates a By Name List.

By Name Lists are a way of helping communities measure what happens among a certain population in real time (how many people are new to the homelessness system, how many exit a system). By Name Lists also help us to measure community-level outcomes and ensure that individuals and families are linked with services without duplication of efforts. It increases the coordination power among participating provider agencies, which — if implemented well — leads to quicker and more efficient service provision to individuals and families.

Locally, the Office of Homeless Services (OHS) manages the coordinated entry process for people who are literally homeless, meaning they sleep in shelters, on the streets, in encampments, in cars, and in other places not meant for human habitation. OHS uses the local Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) database to collect client information including demographics and service needs. HMIS is mandated in order for communities to receive some federal grants designated to addressing homelessness.

However, the federal government does not allow DV providers to use HMIS in order to protect the identities of DV survivors in accordance with the law. Thus, the Mary Parrish Center has established an HMIS equivalent, separate database and process they manage for the DV provider community to collect information about clients, including characteristics and service needs.

The Mary Parrish Center told me that from March 2022 to February 2024, they observed a significant increase in the proportion of inflow of families versus individuals. Since then, that increase in families fleeing DV seems to have leveled off, according to their data.

As mentioned earlier, Nashville DV providers have seen a 25-percent decrease on their By Name List over the past year, which is credited to a combination of fewer calls for help and higher exits.

“Last year, an average of 29.25 survivors were exited from the BNL each month as permanently housed,” Mary Katherine Rand, the executive director of The Mary Parrish Center, explained. “This is a 19 percent [housing placement] increase from the previous year.”

When we talk about “exits,” we refer not only to people being exited from a homeless status to permanent housing. Exits from the By Name List can also mean that providers are unable to reach individuals or families after several attempts over a period of time. They basically have disappeared. Maybe they found housing on their own. Maybe they returned to their abuser. Maybe they live in a motel they don’t want to disclose. Or they doubled up with friends or family. Usually, there are strict protocols in place about how and when individuals and families can be exited from the By Name List. Those who “re-appear” are moved from an inactive list back to the active By Name List.

Rand confirmed that the DV providers are in the process of further analyzing the data.

“We are five years into DV-Coordinated Entry,” Rand said. “So I think we will be getting a better idea moving forward what our baseline will look like. Up to this point, data has been so new.”

Rand added that there has always been solid coordination between DV providers, “because we have been able to work on that from the beginning.” But she clearly believes continuing improvements are needed in any system.

The creation of Metro’s Office of Family Safety was a huge step in the right direction. It enhanced coordination efforts and built a person-centered approach to serve DV survivors.

The first of the three special called meetings on DV called for by the Metro Council that I mentioned earlier was held on Oct. 16 and focused on the Office of Family Safety.

Becky Bullard, deputy director of programs of the Office of Family Safety, reported that Tennessee has been in the top 10 states for the most femicides that are committed around the country. Femicide is defined as the killing of a woman or girl on account of her gender.

“That really means that violence against women in the state of Tennessee is not only a problem, it’s an epidemic,” Bullard said.

In Nashville, 15 percent of homicides between 2011 and 2021 were related to DV.

The Metro Police Department collects data on DV victims and their demographics. So far this year:

• 7,791 DV victims reported DV incidences.

• 2,231 children were present during the incidents.

• 789 victims were taken to a safe place.

• 501 children were taken to a safe place.

Let’s turn our focus back to DV and its connection to homelessness.

The National Alliance to End Homelessness reported that in 2023, about 10.4 percent of all temporary beds on homeless service systems nationwide were set aside for survivors of domestic violence and their families. In their annual funding competition, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development continues to offer bonus dollars to solve housing for DV survivors.

Why? Because everyone agrees DV is a main cause of homelessness. For some, fleeing their abusers leads instantly to homelessness. Others are reaching out to a homelessness program because they intend to flee but do not have the financial means to live independently from their abuser. Economic dependency is a main tool to assert control over a victim of DV. Sadly, DV is also a main contributor to child homelessness.

Research shows that eight percent of people experiencing homelessness had experienced DV in the six months prior to becoming homeless, according to a comprehensive study conducted by the Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative in California. DV survivors are overrepresented in the homelessness population due to the immediate and long-term effects of DV. While not all DV leads to homelessness, survivors with low incomes are mostly affected, “many of whom would not have become homeless in the absence of [DV],” according to the study.

So, what can you do to help?

Learn about the issue. Watch the recording of the Oct.16 presentation and discussion of the Special Called Public Health & Safety Committee Meeting on Domestic Violence in Davidson County, which is available on Metro’s YouTube channel. Erin Evins, the committee’s chair, announced two additional meetings on DV. On Oct. 23, council members will go over to the Jean Crowe Advocacy Center for an immersion tour, and on Oct. 30, they will convene back in the Council Chambers to hear from MNPD, DA, and Sheriff’s Office. Both those meetings are open to the public.

Get involved with a DV provider and help by volunteering and/or you can donate to a DV provider. I recommend focusing on comprehensive programs that participate in community collaboration. The Office of Family Services is a great starting point to ensure you support solutions-oriented, person-centered best practice organizations.