Conceptualizing Housing Instability: Experiences with Material and Psychological Instability Among Women Living with Partner Violence

Abstract

Although recent research has documented that partner violence places women at risk of homelessness and material housing instability, sparse evidence yet documents the existence or importance of psychological housing instability for this group. We draw from 45 women's reports of their experiences of housing instability across three periods: while living with their abusive partner, immediately after leaving the partner, and long after leaving. Housing instability-material and especially psychological-was a major concern for women across all periods, along with co-occurring social, familial, financial, mental health, and violence related problems. In the absence of coordinated services models, access to and navigation of available services to address these simultaneous problems posed important challenges for these women. The concept of housing instability should be expanded to include psychological instability, and, for women who are experiencing abuse, should be considered alongside numerous social and health problems that exacerbate housing precarity.

Domestic Violence and Abuse Related Emergency Room Visits in Ontario, Canada

“…[33,34] Many cooccurring challenges related to IPV and residential instability shape the relationship between the two. [35] For instance, there is evidence to suggest that residential instability is linked to weakened social ties, which may prevent neighbours from collectively intervening during cases of violence. [36][37][38] The association between individual and neighbourhood level material deprivation and DVA is also well established in the U.S. literature.…”

“I don’t have an address”: Housing instability and domestic violence in help-seeking calls to a support service

“…Our focus is how the issue of housing instability becomes visible through the routine practice of a question about address. Housing instability is a documented problem for women experiencing violence at home, seeking to leave a violent relationship, or attempting to forge a new life free from violence (O'Campo et al, 2015;Woodhall-Melnik et al, 2017).…”

Finding home: Community integration experiences of formerly homeless women with problematic substance use in Housing First

“…Although gender is not a significant predictor of community integration in the homeless population (Cherner et al, 2017; Chinchilla et al, 2019; Ecker & Aubry, 2016), women have unique community transitions and are often susceptible to cycles of victimization and housing instability (Brown, Chodzen, Mihelicova, & Collins, 2017; Daoud et al, 2016; O'Campo, Daoud, Hamilton‐Wright and Dunn, 2016; Padgett, Hawkins, Abrams, & Davis, 2006). Further, although men and women entering supportive housing have similar life goals around strengthening relationships and obtaining employment, women are more likely to set goals related to education (Bird, Rhoades, Lahey, Cederbaum, & Wenzel, 2017), suggesting potential differences in community integration needs.…”