After the Crisis: A Needs Assessment of Women Leaving a Domestic Violence Shelter

This chapter is a case study, written from the perspective of a visual artist, designer, and educator, reflecting on a five-year volunteer initiative of developing, leading, and funding an art program at a domestic violence shelter for battered women and adolescent girls who experienced sexual violence. One purpose of this chapter is to provide information about establishing art programs that can be sustained by the institutions in which they are introduced. This chapter discusses the following aspects: 1) breaking the ice and establishing rapport; 2) training and supervising staff and student volunteers; 3) fund-raising, grant writing, and seeking support both within and outside the agency; 4) partnering with organizations or community groups to set up art exhibitions; 5) partnering with artists and writers to print and distribute an educational publication; and 6) developing research with vulnerable populations serviced by the agency.

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Adjustment and Needs of African-American Women Who Utilized a Domestic Violence Shelter

Violence and Victims ◽

10.1891/0886-6708.9.3.275 ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 9 (3) ◽

pp. 275-286 ◽

Cited By ~ 90

Author(s):

Cris M. Sullivan ◽

Maureen H. Rumptz

Keyword(s):

Domestic Violence ◽

African American ◽

African American Women ◽

Battered Women ◽

Poverty Line ◽

Community Response ◽

Short Term ◽

American Women ◽

Domestic Violence Shelter ◽

Advocacy Program

To better understand what environmental and contextual factors influence resource acquisition and subsequent adjustment for African-American women who have been battered, this article explores the experiences of 60 women from the 6 months prior to entering a shelter through a 10-week postshelter advocacy program. Results indicate that African-American battered women who use domestic violence shelters face an array of obstacles: Most had been severely abused, were likely to be living below the poverty line, were unemployed, and were in need of numerous resources. However, in spite of numerous obstacles and continued violence, African-American women overall felt confident in themselves and satisfied with their lives 10 weeks after shelter. Results also indicate that short-term advocacy services were beneficial to African-American women exiting a domestic violence shelter. Implications of these findings as they relate to formal community response and further research are discussed.

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Empowerment in a Bureaucracy? Survivors’ Perceptions of Domestic Violence Shelter Policies and Practices

Affilia ◽

10.1177/0886109917716104 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 33 (1) ◽

pp. 112-125 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Cara A. Bergstrom-Lynch

Keyword(s):

Domestic Violence ◽

Focus Groups ◽

Financial Constraints ◽

Social Forces ◽

Emergency Shelter ◽

Domestic Violence Shelter ◽

Hierarchical Relations ◽

Qualitative Focus Groups ◽

Perceptions Of Domestic Violence ◽

Policies And Practices

Ten qualitative focus groups were conducted with 31 survivors of domestic violence living at an emergency shelter to study survivors’ perceptions of whether shelter policies and practices felt empowering or restrictive. Five themes emerged: (1) shelter monitoring and privacy; (2) transportation and mobility; (3) managing chores, cleaning, and shopping; (4) relationships with staff; and (5) feelings around leaving the shelter. Themes were shaped by larger economic and social forces, including (1) financial constraints and (2) the bureaucratization and professionalization of the shelter system that led to hierarchical relations between staff and residents. Recommendations for improving shelter experiences are addressed.

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Engaging Communities through an Art Program at a Domestic Violence Shelter

Advances in Media, Entertainment, and the Arts - Handbook of Research on the Facilitation of Civic Engagement through Community Art ◽

10.4018/978-1-5225-1727-6.ch016 ◽

2017 ◽

pp. 339-366

Author(s):

Elzbieta T. Kazmierczak

Keyword(s):

Domestic Violence ◽

Battered Women ◽

Fund Raising ◽

Grant Writing ◽

Art Programs ◽

Domestic Violence Shelter ◽

Art Program ◽

Student Volunteers ◽

Visual Artist ◽

Set Up

This chapter is a case study, written from the perspective of a visual artist, designer, and educator, reflecting on a five-year volunteer initiative of developing, leading, and funding an art program at a domestic violence shelter for battered women and adolescent girls who experienced sexual violence. One purpose of this chapter is to provide information about establishing art programs that can be sustained by the institutions in which they are introduced. This chapter discusses the following aspects: 1) breaking the ice and establishing rapport; 2) training and supervising staff and student volunteers; 3) fund-raising, grant writing, and seeking support both within and outside the agency; 4) partnering with organizations or community groups to set up art exhibitions; 5) partnering with artists and writers to print and distribute an educational publication; and 6) developing research with vulnerable populations serviced by the agency.

Download Full-text