StepStone

Some facts about domestic violence

Domestic violence is commonly defined as acts of physical and/or sexual violence and a series of behaviors, including verbal abuse, psychological abuse, threats, intimidation, isolation, coercion and control of the other person . ( Uniform Crime Report, Federal Bureau of Investigation, 1990)

Victims of domestic violence cross all socio-economic, racial, educational, and demographic boundaries. All cultures, races, occupations, income levels and ages have experienced violence from intimate partners. Although both women and men report incidences of abuse, according to a recent survey women experience significantly more intimate partner violence than do men. (Extent, Nature, and Consequences of Intimate Partner Violence: National Violence Against Women Survey, U.S. Department of Justice, July, 2000)

The American Medical Association estimates that over four million women are victims of severe assaults by boyfriends and husbands each year. About one in four women is likely to be abused by a partner in her lifetime. (Sara Glazer, Violence Against Women, CQ Researcher, Congressional Quarterly, Inc., Vol. 3, No. 8, Feb. 1993, p. 171)

Domestic violence and homelessness

Among cities in a recent survey, 57 percent identified domestic violence as the primary cause of homelessness. (The United States Conference of Mayors, A Status Report on Hunger and Homelessness in America’s Cities; 1999, December 1999, p. 94)

According to the San Diego Regional Task Force on the Homeless, domestic violence victims are particularly susceptible to homelessness for the following reasons:

Although battered women are in every income level, they tend to be in households with financial problems. Poor women fleeing domestic violence have a greater risk of homelessness.
The primary goal of the batterer, conscious or not, is often to isolate the victim and make her dependent on the abuser for support.
Battered women from upper economic classes may find themselves with no financial resources or housing when they flee their abusers.
Abusers often sabotage their victim's employment efforts by causing them to be late or absent, or by harassing them so that they quit or are terminated. This leaves victims without financial independence and inadequate job preparation.
Abusers often insist that their victims end relationships with friends and family. If the abuser has threatened family or friends, there may be no option for the battered women to live with them even temporarily. Consequently, a woman who leaves an abusive situation may have no option other than public facilities.

Domestic violence and children

Domestic violence is often perceived as an isolated issue between intimate partners; however, it is estimated that at least 3.3 million children between the ages of 3 and 19 are at risk of exposure to parental violence every year. (Jaffe, Wolfe, Wilson, Children of Battered Women, Sage Publications 19, 1990)

Exposure to abuse of their mother by their father or other intimate partner has many ramifications for these children. Children from homes where domestic violence occurs are physically or sexually abused and/or seriously neglected at a rate 15 times the national average . (McKay, M., 1994. The link between domestic violence and child abuse: Assessment and treatment considerations. Child Welfare League of America, 73, 29-39)

More than half of the school-age children in domestic violence shelters show clinical levels of anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder . (Graham-Bermann, S., 1994. Preventing domestic violence. University of Michigan research information index)

A child’s exposure to the father abusing the mother is the strongest risk factor for transmitting violent behavior from one generation to the next. ( Report of the American Psychological Association Presidential Task Force on Violence and the Family, APA, 1996)

Domestic violence and the StepStone program

The vision for StepStone came from the Wichita Catholic community. In September, 1994, the Housing Project Task Force for the Sisters Adorers of the Blood of Christ and the Sisters of St. Joseph of Wichita submitted their report on homelessness in Sedgwick County. A goal of the task force was to broadly analyze the local need for housing and determine a logical focus for the collaborative community project they envisioned.

The task force identified family violence and its effect upon low-income households as the target for the project. Here is an excerpt from that 1994 report:

"One of the greatest needs of abused families is securing a safe and warm haven. Area shelters are available for crisis situations but little exists for families who are trying to transition themselves out of their abusive environment. No transitional housing programs currently exist for families who have experienced domestic violence. While the Sisters Adorers of the Blood of Christ and the Sisters of St. Joseph recognize that there are numerous needs in the community, the vision of having a joint housing project is to offer (the possibility of) systemic change in the lives of the selected population. The Sisters want to support an effort which will offer a holistic approach in solving a human suffering and which will have a lasting impact on the community".

The vision of the sisters was realized in 1996 when the first homes were purchased and the first participants entered the program. Since that time, the program has been expanded to include case management and counseling services for children as well as the women in the housing and outreach programs.