Violence and homelessness are linked. The threat of homelessness traps survivors in abusive relationships. Escaping domestic violence may lead to homelessness. People experiencing homelessness are targeted for sexual and domestic violence.

The data below show a connection between violence and homelessness in our community. Nationally we see this connection, too. At some point in their life, 5.5% of all women in the United States need housing services after experiencing intimate partner violence. Other data "indicate that women experience disproportionally high levels of [sexual violence] before, during, and after episodes of homelessness. Homeless women have often experienced victimization by multiple perpetrators, beginning in childhood and extending into adulthood." A survey of advocates in 29 states found that almost 60% had worked with at least one survivor who had been sexually assaulted by their landlord, property owner, or property manager.

What can we do to disrupt this relationship between violence and homelessness? We know that affordable housing is a protective factor against sexual and domestic violence. How can we provide that housing?

One way we can prevent homelessness is by preventing sexual and domestic violence. One way we can prevent violence is by ensuring that housing is available to all.

Sources: The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey, Housing & Sexual Violence Research Brief

Though the percentages have decreased, well over 1/3 of youth (ages 18-34) served by Northwest Youth Services Housing Programs had experienced domestic violence at some point in their lives, and close to 1/5 were fleeing domestic violence in 2023.

The number of individual clients served has remained relatively steady for four years after a big drop in 2020.

While the total number of clients did not increase significantly, of the average number of contacts per client in 2023 exceeded pre-pandemic averages.

Most students who received services sought support for sexual assault. Students self-identified the reason for seeking support and were able to select more than one reason.

Based on the Survivor Advocacy Services satisfaction surveys over the past three academic years the top 5 reasons students accessed services were:

• Emotional support related to experience of violence and/or abuse. (82% of responses)
• Counseling support.
• Connect to resources on and off campus.
• Coping skills and self-care practices.
• Talk through the dynamics and effects of violence.

Students also accessed services for legal/reporting options, safety planning, academic advocacy, housing/financial/medical support. Source: WWU Survivor Advocacy Services

“I worked with the WWU survivor advocate to gain back some control over my academic career after an intense trauma. I found it most helpful when I was able to talk about my struggles, and I didn’t have to explain what solutions I needed. My advocate took that weight off my shoulders and gave me some solutions within Western's options... I don’t know what I would have done without a survivor advocate like her." - Student Survivor

Across the country, experiencing sexual assault as a child is very common. 1 in 2 female survivors and more than 2 in 5 male survivors first experienced unwanted sexual contact before age 18. Almost half of female rape victims were under 18 when they were first raped. About 57% of male victims experienced rape before age 18. Sexual coercion before adulthood is also common. 39% of female victims and 30% of male victims first experienced sexual coercion before 18. Source: The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey

PeaceHealth has offered forensic care services since the mid-2010s. Before then, some emergency department nurses were trained forensic nurses, but they were not always available. At first, the specialized training was available to experienced emergency room nurses. This subspecialty of nursing requires extensive didactic training followed by multiple observed cases by a seasoned forensic nurse. Forensic nurses care for patients who have experienced sexual assault, domestic violence with strangulation, pediatric sexual assault, and pediatric child abuse. The training is extensive. The number of qualified forensic nurses nationally is about 1% of all registered nurses. In 2023 PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center established its own forensic department. St. Joe's is working to staff the department 24/7 with qualified, forensically trained nurses from all areas of nursing.

The number of forenensic exams conducted at St. Joe's have increased beyond pre-pandemic levels.

Nationally, over 12% of women needed legal services due to intimate partner violence in their lifetime. The estimated number of women victims who needed legal services is more than 15 million. This is different from needing help from law enforcement. Source: The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey

Someone who has experienced domestic violence from an intimate partner or a family or household member can request a DVPO. An intimate partner can be a spouse, boyfriend/girlfriend, or romantic partner. Domestic violence may include controlling behavior, sometimes called coercive control. It can also include physical violence or threats of physical violence. Someone may also apply on behalf of a family or household member who is a minor or vulnerable adult. A judge or commissioner can grant or deny this order. If it is granted, it protects against domestic violence or threat of violence. It can make it illegal for the other person to contact or come near the victim. According to Washington State Courts, someone who has been sexually assaulted, harassed, or stalked by a partner or a family or household member should, but is not required to, seek a DVPO, instead of another type of protection order. Source: Washington State Courts

Someone who has experienced nonconsensual sexual conduct, even if it only occurred once. A single incident of nonconsensual sexual conduct is enough for a petition for a SAPO. A judge or commissioner can grant or deny this order. If it is granted, it can make it illegal for the other person to contact or come near the victim. Source: Washington State Courts

Compared to Domestic Violence Protection Orders Whatcom County District and Superior Courts receive very few Sexual Assault Protection Order (SAPO) Petitions.

Violations of Protection Orders and criminal No Contact Orders are common. In 2023, Whatcom County reported 371 violations of these orders, meaning that the accused, offender, or respondent contacted the victim or violated other terms of the order. Source: Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs (WASPC) Crime in Washington Annual Reports

Most sexual assault is not reported to law enforcement. The U.S. Department of Justice estimates that in 2023 only 46% of rapes/sexual assaults were reported to police. This is a big increase from the previous year when only 21% were reported. Though we do not have statistics specifically about our own community, we can estimate that acts of sexual violence are actually much higher than what is reported in Whatcom County each year.

Where are the 2023 numbers? These data (excluding BPD’s sex crime investigation data below) come from the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs (WASPC) Crime in Washington Annual Reports. Each year there are updates to the previous year’s data. From 2017 to 2023, the change in the official number of reported sexual assault offenses for a specific year ranged from an increase of 4 to 21 reports across Whatcom law enforcement agencies, with an average increase of 12.6 reports for a specific year. Including 2023 numbers might misrepresent the trend. The updated numbers will be included in next year’s Data Report.

Like sexual violence, domestic violence reports to law enforcement only represent a portion of what is happening in our community. The U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Statistics defines domestic violence as violent victimizations that were committed by current or former intimate partners or family members. Even those are underreported, with only 48% reported to police in 2023. This does not include other forms of domestic violence that do not meet that definition of violent victimization, including some coercion and threats, intimidation, emotional abuse, isolation, minimizing, denying and blaming, using children, using privilege and financial abuse. See the Power and Control Wheel for more information about tactics of abuse. 1 in 6 women and 1 in 18 men in the U.S. needed help from law enforcement at some point in their life as a result of contact sexual violence, physical violence, or stalking by an intimate partner. We also know that not everyone who needs that help is able to access it. Sources: The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey and US Department of Justice

The Lethality Assessment Program (LAP) was developed by the Maryland Network Against Domestic Violence and is based on the research of Dr. Jacquelyn Campbell. Dr. Campbell’s work showed that women killed by their intimate partners had very seldom been engaged by advocates.

When a law enforcement officer responds to a domestic call, the LAP protocol directs them to:

1. Conduct an 11-item lethality screen with the victim. The questions focus on the victim’s level of danger to be seriously injured or killed by their intimate partner.
2. If the victim screens in at high risk of lethality, the officer makes immediate contact with the local domestic violence advocacy agency. In our community, this agency is DVSAS.
3. The victim is then encouraged, but not required, to speak with the domestic violence advocate. The responding officer and the domestic violence advocate work as partners to provide the victim with safety planning and resource information.

The goal of the Whatcom County Domestic Violence High Risk Team (DVHRT) is to prevent domestic violence homicides. This multidisciplinary team identifies the most dangerous domestic violence offenders using research-based risk assessment tools and improves systemic responses for these offenders through coordinated communication.