Domestic Violence Census

On September 15, 2010, 100% of the 55 identified domestic violence programs in Massachusetts participated in the 2010 National Census of Domestic Violence Services, an annual event sponsored by the National Network to End Domestic Violence.  JDI thanks each and every program who participated in this survey for taking the time from their already busy and demanding schedules to help tell this story.

The 2010 MA census report highlights the incredible need for services and support each and every day. The numbers are staggering.

On September 15, 2010 in Massachusetts:  1798 Victims and Survivors Served in One Day

• 750 domestic violence victims found refuge in emergency shelters or transitional housing provided by local domestic violence programs

• 1048 adults and children received non-residential assistance and services, including individual counseling, legal advocacy, and children’s support groups

• 717 hotline calls were answered—or more than 30 calls every hour

• 534 individual received prevention and education trainings

• 766 unmet requests for services, 619 of which were from victims seeking emergency shelter or transitional housing. This represents an approximately one hundred fifty-four percent (154%) increase in the number of unmet needs reported between 2009 and 2010.

The volume of need along with the unmet requests for services underscores the challenges that local program face in meeting the needs in their communities.

An advocate from a participating program in Massachusetts wrote this when completing the survey, “We need more funding so we can provide comprehensive services. In the week before the survey day, we had a domestic violence murder-suicide and another death related to domestic violence that is under investigation. Because we are a small rural community, we face greater poverty, isolation, and the lack of public transportation is a barrier for victims to access the services they need.”

Domestic Violence Census Background

2010 marks the fifth anniversary of the National Network to End Domestic Violence’s 24-hour census, called DV Counts. Domestic violence programs from all fifty states and U.S. territories voluntarily participate in this event, reporting on the number of victims and survivors served in a 24-hour period. The census is a “snapshot” of the need for domestic violence services—and a record of the number of unmet needs reported nationally.

Highlights from the 2010 DV Counts across the nation:

• three women were murdered by their intimate partners.
• Thirty-six babies were born to mothers living in domestic violence shelters.
• Three-hundred-ninety-one survivors started new jobs.
• Three men committed suicide – one after murdering his wife, another after a failed attempt to kill his girlfriend, and the third after holding his partner hostage and a standoff with the police.

The full National Domestic Violence Counts for 2010 and prior years along with summaries for each U.S. state and territory are available online at http://www.nnedv.org/census.