Guarantee Shelters to Victims of Domestic Violence

Domestic violence is one of the primary causes of homelessness for women and their children in the Saint Lucia our data reflects. According to the data collected from clients, between 22 and 57 percent of women and children are homeless due to domestic violence, with 38 percent of all victims experiencing homeless at some point in their lives due to domestic violence.  Victims who leave their abusive partner multiple times due to domestic violence often experience multiple events of homelessness.

When a victim of domestic violence chooses to leave their abusive partner, safe and affordable housing is one of the primary barriers they will face for themselves and their children.  In a short survey conducted in 2021, more than 1,000 adults and children fleeing domestic violence found only temporary refuge in the state emergency shelter, at friends, family, etc.  For every five cases which we process four requests housing and shelter. Due to space constraints at least two out of every four victims who identified a need for housing services did not receive housing due to both space and resource constraints.

Though emergency shelters can be a source of immediate short-term safety, we would like to provide transitional housing victims a housing option and supportive services—including counseling, childcare, transportation, life skills, education and/or job training—for up to 24 months.  It is a safe, affordable option that empowers survivors to begin rebuilding their lives after fleeing abuse.  Transitional housing programs give survivors the time and services they need to achieve goals for long-term safety and stability.  Without these programs, survivors may have no other option than to return to their abuser’s home or face homelessness.

We have recently received a lease at minimal rate for a plot of land that can be used to build a transitional housing our challenge now is to source funding for the construction, equipping and furnishing. Transitional Housing supports economic empowerment and survivor autonomy while using a voluntary services model.  While the solutions to addressing domestic violence and its related consequences must encompass a broad range of interventions and options for domestic violence survivors, strategies must be trauma-informed and survivor-centered.  If our goal is to truly empower survivors of domestic violence, they must be provided with the tools to establish economic self-sufficiency, short-term goal-setting, and long-term planning for their futures. Your help is important to us.