Shelters, Battered Women's

History

The movement to create shelters and services for battered women came out of the increased understanding of domestic violence from the consciousness-raising groups of the broader feminist movement in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Many of the first shelter programs relied on women, many of whom were survivors, offering their homes as safe houses and volunteering their services to support victims of domestic violence. The first shelter opened in the early 1970s in Minnesota.

Today, many battered women's shelters are independent local programs set up as not for profit, 501(c)(3) agencies, while others are affiliates of larger social service agencies. Most are governed by a board of directors. Many board members have knowledge and skills in managing complex programs. Oftentimes prominent local and government officials are also on boards to help lend credibility and community support to the shelter, and survivors of domestic violence are often on the board to bring a user perspective to the board.

Services Provided

Battered women's shelters provide for the basic needs of women experiencing domestic violence; these provisions include food, shelter, clothing, and a violence-free environment at a sometimes secret location. To help women find safe places and resources, shelters employ volunteers or staff to answer anonymous crisis-line calls. These callers may be women in a crisis situation who will need services from the shelter, and the crisis-call staff helps the woman assess her safety and strategize safe options. Calls may also be from concerned family and friends of a battered woman.

Although providing for the basic needs of women leaving abusive relationships is an important part of shelter services, it is not the only service provided by shelters. Support, education, and safety planning services are available at most shelters. Shelter staff listens to the stories of battered women, offering empathy and support. Staff members offer information on community resources for the family and education on domestic violence. Shelter staff helps battered women assess the safety of remaining in an abusive relationship and the safety of leaving an abusive partner. Staff members aid battered women in the development of a safety plan and offer strategies to help the woman and potentially her children to stay as safe as possible.

Most shelters also provide significant advocacy services to the women and children living in the shelter as well as to women in the community, both those who have left a domestic violence situation and those who continue to reside with their abuser. Advocacy services include medical, legal, financial, and children's advocacy. Legal advocacy provides information and accompaniment to women who are involved in the legal system or for women who wish to utilize the services of the civil or criminal justice system. Medical advocacy programs offer support and aid to women in identifying health care needs for themselves or for their children and aid women in finding appropriate health care services. Financial advocacy services work to empower women toward economic self-sufficiency by providing education for the economic issues that survivors face and opportunities to learn how they can improve their economic situation. Children's advocacy [Page 673]provides support, programming, and educational information to children who have experienced domestic violence in their homes. In addition to advocacy services, many shelters also provide counseling services for children and women to help them heal from the trauma of the abuse.

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