Report: Housing crisis affecting Ohio domestic violence survivors

By Nadia Ramlagan

The high cost of housing is posing challenges for survivors of domestic violence in Ohio, according to the latest report from the National Network to End Domestic Violence.

Data show there were 159 unmet requests for services because programs lacked sufficient resources, funding or staffing. More than 80% of requests were related to housing.

While families can typically find a spot in a shelter overnight, said Maria York, policy director for the Ohio Domestic Violence Network, long-term housing is unaffordable for many survivors seeking to start a new life, in many cases with their children.

"What we're seeing, too," she said, "is definitely the current housing market that we're in right now, especially rentals being so high, a lot of survivors are in financial crisis."

Still, the state’s DV programs helped more than 1,900 Ohio survivors and their children find refuge in emergency shelters, transitional housing, hotels or other housing provided by local programs.

York said major funding for the state’s shelters and programs comes from federal Victims of Crime Act and Family Violence and Prevention Services Act grants.

"Those are what funds the core shelter services," she said, "and we've seen those streams of funding just be very unstable over the last several years."

Last year there were 157 fatalities in Ohio related to domestic violence, and more than 80% of deaths involved use of a firearm. The youngest victim was four months old and the oldest was 89, according to data from the Ohio Domestic Violence Network.