Housing is the ‘bedrock of safety.' For survivors of domestic violence in Milwaukee, it can be hard to find.
A key to safety for many victims of domestic and intimate partner violence is emergency shelter, but in Milwaukee County, that can be in short supply.
The demand far outpaces the bed capacity at Sojourner Family Peace Center in Milwaukee or any other local shelter, a new report found.
'Housing for us is the bedrock of safety,' said Carmen Pitre, Sojourner's president and chief executive, in an interview.
Studies from across the country have repeatedly found that domestic and intimate partner violence is a leading cause of women experiencing homelessness.
Many of Sojourner's clients struggle with transitional housing options after leaving emergency shelter, Pitre said, and two longstanding local options for that service have closed in recent years.
Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley said the county has invested in affordable housing developments with the help of pandemic relief funds. But with federal dollars drying up, the county will rely more on partnerships to try to fulfill those needs, he said.
'We want to fill these gaps so people aren't falling through the cracks and going right back into that cycle of violence or that cycle of homelessness,' Crowley said.
The report was based on data from Sojourner and interviews with survivors served by Sojourner.
It did not include data from other advocacy organizations supporting survivors in the county, including the Milwaukee Women's Center and We Are Here MKE, a collective of culturally specific organizations. However, representatives from those organizations said Thursday the findings were similar to their clients' experiences.
'For many of them, they're running again with the clothes on their back,' said Antonia Drew Norton, founder of The Asha Project, which serves African American women and families in Milwaukee.
'And we want to be able to have the best place to reach that path toward healing, which is a journey – not a destination,' she added.
The report was the subject of a community meeting Thursday at American Family Field. Here are key takeaways.
Sojourner operates a 53-bed emergency shelter for survivors and their children. In 2023, the shelter served 141 adults and 181 children. The average stay for a family was about 50 nights.
That same year, Sojourner's hotline received 2,353 calls requesting shelter, meaning only 6% of those individuals ultimately stayed in the agency's shelter.
SPECIAL REPORT: Domestic violence deaths are rising. Children are witnessing them. Inside the crisis facing Milwaukee County.
Sojourner asked survivors where they were going after leaving the shelter.
Of those who shared the information, about 31% said they were moving to a rental with some form of assistance to help with the cost, the report found.
About a quarter reported moving in with family or friends, and another 17% reported moving to another emergency shelter in the area.
Sojourner conducted interviews with 125 adult survivors served by their organization, many of whom had experienced poverty, the report noted.
Roughly three-quarters of the survivors had been homeless at some point in their lives, and half of them said their children had experienced homelessness.
On average, survivors had experienced six discrete incidences of homelessness in their lifetimes, the report found.
ARCHIVE: Domestic violence victims in Milwaukee faced eviction for calling police in 2008-2009, study finds
Of the survivors who had minor children, about 62% reported that their children had to move homes because of the abusive situation. Only 16% reported that their children had to move schools.
The report traces the difference to federal protections for homeless children, which allows students who become homeless during a school year to continue to attend the same school for the rest of the year, regardless of where the family is living.
The law shows the potential of policy solutions to address homelessness among survivors of domestic and intimate partner violence, the report says.
FULL REPORT: Homelessness, Housing Instability & IntimatePartner Violence
The report offers several recommendations:
Training advocacy staff in housing/rental knowledge for the local market and adding positions to address survivors' housing needs.
Supporting projects that build or create more affordable housing units, expanding available emergency shelter and creating more transitional housing options.
Train and support family and friends so they can support survivors, including in housing needs.
In an interview, Pitre recommended friends and family of survivors call an advocacy organization for guidance on housing options and safety planning.
'It's emotionally difficult to support people who are in challenging circumstances,' Pitre said. 'I would say, first, take care of yourself, as well as trying to take care of your loved one.'
Ashley Luthern is a reporter and deputy investigations editor at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. She can be reached at ashley.luthern@jrn.com.
Domestic violence advocates can help with safety planning. Calls to advocates are confidential and do not involve law enforcement.
The National Domestic Violence Hotline is 800-799-7233.
The Sojourner Family Peace Center in Milwaukee operates a 24-hour confidential hotline at 414-933-2722.
The Milwaukee Women's Center offers a 24-hour crisis line at 414-671-6140.
The Women's Center in Waukesha has a 24-hour hotline at 262-542-3828.
We Are Here Milwaukee provides information on culturally specific organizations at weareheremke.org.
The Asha Project, which provides culturally specific services for African American women and others in Milwaukee, provides a crisis line from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 414-252-0075.
The UMOS Latina Resource Center in Milwaukee offers bilingual, bicultural domestic violence, sexual assault and anti-human trafficking supportive services and operates a 24-hour hotline at 414-389-6510.
The Gerald L. Ignace Indian Health Center offers culturally sensitive, trauma-informed services for those who have experienced domestic or sexual violence and can be reached at 414-383-9526.
Our Peaceful Home, which serves Muslim families and is a program of the Milwaukee Muslim Women's Coalition, operates a crisis line at 414-727-1090.
The Hmong American Women's Association, which serves the Hmong and Southeast Asian community, has advocates available at 414-930-9352 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
End Domestic Abuse Wisconsin has a statewide directory of resources at endabusewi.org/get-help.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee domestic violence victims struggle to find shelter, housing
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