Gentrification eats away at shelter options for domestic-abuse victims

[inanna]

Source: Washington Post

July 10 at 7:09 PM

The District’s booming housing market is shrinking the number of apartments and shelter beds available for victims of domestic violence, even as the number of city residents needing such shelter continues to rise, advocates say.

The rising cost of housing and a loss of private money means nonprofits can subsidize the rent for fewer than 20 abuse victims a year, down from 45 apartment subsidies two years ago. At the same time, the District’s only short-term crisis shelter for abuse victims and their families has shrunk from 22 apartments to 18, and the shelter must relocate because those units are being put on the market come fall.

The scarcity of housing, advocates say, means domestic-violence victims sometimes stay with their abusers rather than impose on friends and family or escape to a homeless shelter or the streets.

“When we ask survivors why they had to stay, one of the top answers is always lack of access to housing,” said Karma Cottman, executive director of the D.C. Coalition Against Domestic Violence. “They stay because they can’t afford to go anywhere else.”

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-politics/gentrification-eats-away-at-shelter-options-for-domestic-abuse-victims/2016/07/10/0470d18c-43c0-11e6-8856-f26de2537a9d_story.html

[forest444]

1. Rent

really is just too damn high - in many places at least.

[yeoman6987]

2. Disgusting this is happening in DC. No excuses!!!!!

I'd expect these things in red cities but not liberal deep blue cities. The mayor needs to do something yesturday.

[forest444]

4. Few if any politicians - red or blue - will stare down the real estate mafia, alas.

They've made gentrification - and by extension, themselves - synonymous with progress itself in the minds of many voters (typically older homeowners).

While that's true to some extent, they do like to forget that tenants are people too - and we pay taxes and vote.

I once knew a Rapepublican realtor who had no compunctions against telling anyone who'd listen that "only property owners should vote, like the Founding Fathers intended."

Delusions of grandeur.

[ErikJ]

3. A lot of them stay for the free drugs too

their partner is a drug dealer / pimp / mental controller. Almost impossible for many women to escape that even though they may try for a while. The free drugs always brings them back.

[geek tragedy]

5. Wtf? nt