An emergency family shelter in Concord will have to revamp its policies to ensure domestic violence survivors are not discriminated against, after reaching a legal agreement with a woman who was turned away last year.
The deal struck nearly a year after the shelter turned away a 45-year-old domestic violence survivor and her child in May 2016 after the woman disclosed that she was afraid her abuser would soon be released from prison and attempt to contact her in New Hampshire, according to New Hampshire Legal Assistance.
The woman was given 48 hours to leave due to a “domestic violence history and potential for reoccurrence,” according to a notice of termination dated May 23, 2016 from the emergency housing program’s director Arolyn King.
The policies at the Friends Program banned people from staying at the shelter who had experienced domestic violence in the past seven days, according to Victoria Horrock, the Fair Housing Project attorney who handled the case. In addition, only domestic violence survivors were subjected to risk assessment guidelines before being admitted.
“We generally feel domestic violence victims were facing discrimination when seeking shelter,” Horrock said. “And when the majority of domestic violence victims are women, that’s sex discrimination.”
Horrock filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, arguing that the staff made no attempt to verify whether the abuser was still in jail, something she said was easily verifiable online. She also noted the abuser was not scheduled to be released from jail until November 2016.
“Our client told the Friends Program staff about her history as a survivor of domestic violence believing that they would be supportive of her efforts to build a safe life for herself and her daughter,” Horrock said. “Instead, she and her daughter were left to fend for themselves.”
After her eviction from the shelter, the woman sought help from the Crisis Center of Central New Hampshire, which ultimately connected her with legal assistance.
The legal agreement means the shelter will have to change its polices to include broader risk assessments that do not focus solely on domestic violence survivors. Shelter personnel would also have to independently verify whether a victim’s perception of risk was “credible.”
In a statement released by Friends Program executive director Jay Sinclair, the shelter’s board of directors denies that it discriminated against the woman.
“The Emergency Housing Shelter admission policies are reviewed from time to time to ensure that all applicants, regardless of their personal backgrounds, are given fair consideration to stay at our facility,” the statement reads. “The Emergency Housing Shelter policies do not discriminate against survivors of domestic violence, and TFP staff engage in training to assess any risk to the applicant or other residents when determining admission.”
But Horrock said treating all domestic violence survivors as if they carry added risk is flawed.
“There’s an assumption that domestic violence survivors are bringing a risk to shelter, and that’s because of stereotypes,” she said. “The main idea is that victims of domestic abuse inherently bring danger with them, regardless of their specific circumstances.”
With domestic violence shelters in the state constantly strapped for beds, both housing and domestic violence advocates hope the settlement will encourage other shelters to look at their polices and start a bigger conversation about the barriers that domestic violence survivors face when trying to leave their abusers.
“What we would like is for all homeless shelters to create consistent policies and not place increased burdens on women,” Horrock said.
For Paula Wall, executive director of the Crisis Center of Central New Hampshire, the case was not surprising. She said she’s known “for years” of domestic violence victims being turned away due to their situation. And when a domestic violence victim doesn’t have access to stable housing, they’re more likely to become transient, or return to their abuser, Wall said.
“Statistically, there have to be many, many domestic violence victims in shelters, because there’s not enough shelters in the state,” Wall said. “And they’re not disclosing, because they feel like they’ll be asked to leave.”
Between 22 and 57 percent of all homeless women in the country report domestic violence as the immediate cause of their homelessness, and 90 percent of all homeless women have experienced physical or sexual abuse at some points in their lives, according to the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence.
Amanda Grady Sexton, director of public policy for the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, said the state’s 12 emergency shelters turned away 4,000 people last year because of capacity issues. The coalition and its 13 crisis centers served 9,702 domestic violence victims in 2016, up 660 from the number of those served in 2015.
Those numbers do not include sexual assault and stalking victims, and do not account for the amount of people who did not seek services. In 2016, 524 people sought domestic violence housing, four less than in 2015, which does not include repeat stays.
Grady Sexton called those numbers “horrifying.” “Think of someone who has gotten up the courage to end an abusive relationship, keep themselves and their children safe, only to find out the types of support they need are not available,” she said.
In addition to not having enough beds, crisis centers also struggle with funding, Grady Sexton said. New Hampshire has some of the lowest amount of funding for domestic violence victims and intervention services; this budget cycle, the state’s 13 centers had to share $140,000 per year from appropriated general funds. The state senate is looking to appropriate $500,000 for domestic violence programs this year, Grady Sexton said, but they’ll have to reconcile their budget differences with the State House first before any figure is agreed upon.
If you or someone you know is experiencing or has experienced domestic or sexual violence, you can contact the crisis center nearest you for information, referrals and support. The Crisis Center of Central New Hampshire’s hotline is 1-866-841-6229. In emergency situations, call 911.