Exploratory Examination of How Race and Criminal Record Relate to Housing Instability Among Domestic Violence Survivors

Abstract

Housing instability is a critical concern in the United States, and domestic violence (DV) survivors are a group at high risk for experiencing housing instability or of becoming unhoused. Prior research has also identified having a criminal record (CR) as being a major barrier to obtaining stable housing, and this is truer for Black and Latinx people compared to their White counterparts. No study has examined whether comparable trends exist among survivors of DV, a group also at elevated risk of having a CR, sometimes related to their experience of abuse. The current exploratory study included 305 unhoused or unstably housed female DV survivors who had sought out DV support services. Multivariate regressions explored if survivor race and CR were separately linked to greater housing instability. CR was then explored as a potential moderator in the relation between race and housing instability. Results revealed that DV survivors with a CR faced greater housing instability than those without a CR, Black and Latina survivors experienced greater housing stability than did White survivors, and CR did not moderate the relation between race and housing instability. The racial differences were unexpected and are discussed in light of methodological limitations. This is the first study to date to explore the role of CR possession on housing instability for DV survivors.

Impact of the Domestic Violence Housing First Model on Survivors’ Safety and Housing Stability: Six Month Findings

“…This work is difficult, as there is little affordable housing (Shaw, 2020), and many survivors experience housing barriers (which may or may not be related to IPV) that must be addressed. In addition to the IPV-related barriers noted earlier, survivors may also have bad credit (Kofman et al, 2018), criminal records (Engleton et al, 2021;Messing et al, 2015), a problematic rental history (Baker et al, 2010), or other barriers (López-Zerón et al, 2021). Survivors of Color face systemic racism as they seek safe and stable housing (Engleton et al, 2021;Stylianou & Pich, 2019), and some immigrants are unable to work or obtain governmental assistance due to their immigration status (Hernandez-Martinez et al, 2018).…”

“…In addition to the IPV-related barriers noted earlier, survivors may also have bad credit (Kofman et al, 2018), criminal records (Engleton et al, 2021;Messing et al, 2015), a problematic rental history (Baker et al, 2010), or other barriers (López-Zerón et al, 2021). Survivors of Color face systemic racism as they seek safe and stable housing (Engleton et al, 2021;Stylianou & Pich, 2019), and some immigrants are unable to work or obtain governmental assistance due to their immigration status (Hernandez-Martinez et al, 2018). These factors coalesce to make the prospect of long-term safe and stable housing less likely.…”