Best practices in advocating for economic empowerment of impoverished intimate partner violence (IPV) survivors require the comprehensive and holistic organization of program and service delivery systems. This article outlines the best practices literature that addresses IPV in the lives of impoverished women, as well as the literature that specifically examines the interventions to economically empower IPV survivors--whether impoverished or not. This article concludes with suggestions for policy makers on how to incorporate these best practices into the Violence Against Women Act and for practitioners to ensure a comprehensive approach to interventions for impoverished IPV survivors.
The intertwined relationship between poverty and violence, especially in the lives of women on welfare, has been receiving critical attention since welfare reform. The Family Violence Option (FVO), an amendment to the Personal Responsibility and Work Reconciliation Act of 1996, gives states the flexibility to offer more time for battered women to seek safety. Kansas created the Orientation, Assessment, Referral, and Safety (OARS) program, in which the state's welfare system contracts services with advocacy organizations that provide on-site services for women who qualify to participate under the FVO. This study explored the interagency collaboration model used in Kansas by talking directly with domestic violence survivors about their experiences. The results from this study challenge practitioners to think differently about collaboration to meet the needs of domestic violence survivors on welfare.
Violence against women is a recognizable and growing problem as a major public health and human rights issue at an international level (Caracci, 2003). The World Health Organization estimates that 5.3 million women experience violence at the hands of an intimate partner each year. Estimates suggest that the lifetime occurrences of violence towards women range from as little as 10 percent to as large as 69 percent (Caracci, 2003). It is difficult, if not impossible, to discover the true extent of violence among female populations around the world, especially since most women do not report domestic violence because of cultural values and social taboos (Waters et al., 2005).Enormous challenges exist as policy-makers and advocates struggle with how to address the problem and identify prevention and intervention strategies that keep women safe from further violence. Western countries such as the USA and the UK have pioneered policies and services for battered women over the past 30 years. As other countries address domestic violence, those with somewhat similar cultures often turn to the USA and the UK as a source of information and support. Yet countries with different cultures struggle with addressing the problem of domestic violence while still holding true to their values and beliefs. For example, in South * i s w
Survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV) face housing insecurity when escaping violence. The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing (HEARTH) Act policies were put in place to protect this population. This article uses policy analysis to understand the provisions they provide for survivors. The case of a small city will be presented to understand the local implementation of these policies with regard to survivors’ access to affordable housing in tight housing markets. Finally, recommendations will be presented to strengthen the policies to better meet IPV survivors’ housing needs.
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