On Tuesday, UCSF released a report using data from the California Statewide Study of People Experiencing Homelessness – or CASPEH – to show the linkage between homelessness, intimate partner violence, and poverty. It found that women experiencing poverty and domestic violence in tandem are far more likely to become unhoused than those who are just experiencing domestic violence.
Almost everyone who participated in the study said financial support of any kind – whether it be a housing voucher, monthly payments, or a lump sum – would have helped them stay housed.
Jennifer Friedenbach is the Executive Director of the Coalition on Homelessness. She says she hopes San Francisco policy makers will take advantage of the new data to make more informed decisions.
“You know, it's incredibly important that when we're bringing forth solutions to an issue like homelessness, that we do it based on the science and not on kind of political whims.”
The report's authors make a number of recommendations, including offering more affordable, permanent housing options and flexible financial assistance programs.
The report also found that the majority of people leaving violent situations ended up unsheltered. Friedenbach says this is partially because of a lack of capacity at shelters.
“I mean, we have three domestic violence shelters in San Francisco. We have capacity for a very small number of households and then we have thousands of people experiencing violence.”
The IPV report is the first in a series that will be diving into the CASPEH Data. Coming up: Black Californians’ Experiences of Homelessness, Aging and Homelessness, Latino/x Experiences of Homelessness, and Behavioral Health and Homelessness, among others.
