#abusivepartners

[officially-victoriajones-blog]

Via @browngirlrelax Are you a victim of gaslighting? #gaslighting #mentalabuse #abusivepartners #abusiverelationship https://www.instagram.com/p/Bsl7CbxF1E7/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=rnxm1cxh10gj

[homelessnessda-blog]

Photo from:

Ford, C. (2017). The Power of Domestic Violence: Why It’s Hard to Leave. Retrieved from https://womensvoicesforchange.org/the-power-of-domestic-violence-why-its-hard-to-leave.htm

“Why doesn't she just leave”

Intimate partner violence and homelessness are two interconnected, significant issues that deeply affect many women across Canada (Tutty, Ogden, Giurgiu, & Weaver-Dunlop, 2013). The decision to leave an abusive relationship is greatly impacted by the lack of affordable and safe housing available (Tutty et al., 2013). Housing specifically has been identified as the most consequential concern, one that provokes the return to an abusive partner (Tutty et al., 2013). I question why the systems put in place make it so difficult for women and their children to obtain the resources that would allow them to live in stability, separate from their abusive partners. It has become evident that leaving an abusive partner does not always ensure a sanctuary of safety will be waiting. In fact, for many abused women, fleeing brings them on a path towards homelessness (Tutty et al., 2013). Inadequacies within our social assistance programs result in the majority of social funds being put towards housing, with little to nothing left for the many other necessities of life (Tutty et al., 2013). When all fails and emergency shelters are used as a last resort, their resources only act as a temporary solution, and are extremely constrained to the amount of assistance they are able to provide (Tutty et al., 2013). I think that our government is naive in thinking that the programs put in place are anything more than a short term relief. These women face a tremendous amount of barriers that keep them from obtaining permanent housing. Funding is extremely low, and without sufficient economic backing these women are forced to either live on the streets or live under the roof of their abuser. The fact is that our systems choose the abuser over the victim, highlighting a devastating issue of injustice that must be addressed.

Tutty, L., Ogden, C., Giurgiu, B., & Weaver-Dunlop, G. (2013). I Built My House of Hope. Violence Against Women, 19(12), 1498-1517. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1077801213517514