Giving Compass' Take:

• Philip Rojc explains how funders are working to help domestic violence victims access the range of resources that they need to successfully escape. 

• What combination of resources do victims need? What communities have the greatest need? 

• Find out how policy changes can help domestic violence survivors. 

Research from the CDC presents us with the disturbing fact that one in three American women experience some form of intimate partner violence during their lifetimes. Ten million people (including men) suffer from this violence every year. The unspoken corollary is that a significant fraction of the populace (especially men) is committing these acts on a regular basis.

When you’re being attacked, the usual reaction is to get out of there, but many women can’t do that. Lacking shelters and adequate support services, some wind up homeless. Exorbitant housing costs in some cities only add to the problem.

That brings up a another challenge: some victims of domestic abuse don’t have the financial resources, access, or knowledge to escape their situation. In what is known as financial abuse, some abusers exert control by unlawfully withholding money from their partners.

Mary Kay’s focus on shelters highlights the links between domestic violence, homelessness, and affordable housing. When you’re being attacked, the usual reaction is to get out of there, but many women can’t do that. Lacking shelters and adequate support services, some wind up homeless. Exorbitant housing costs in some cities only add to the problem.

That brings up a another challenge: some victims of domestic abuse don’t have the financial resources, access, or knowledge to escape their situation. In what is known as financial abuse, some abusers exert control by unlawfully withholding money from their partners. Recently, funders like the Silicon Valley Community Foundation and the Allstate Foundation have been addressing this issue, funding financial literacy programs for women at risk.

Read the full article about domestic violence by Philip Rojc at Inside Philanthropy.