Housing & Sexual Violence Fact Sheet For sexual violence victims, safe and affordable housing is often even further out of reach, due to the effects of trauma, economic insecurity, and lack of resources in the aftermath of sexual violence. The majority of sexual assaults take place in or near victims’ homes or the homes of victims’ friends, relatives, or neighbors (Mindlin & Vickers, 2007). Impact of housing costs According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, a household should pay no more than 30% of their income on housing (called the Fair Market Rent or FMR). More than half (18.5 million) of Amer- ica’s renters do not earn enough to afford the average FMR in their state (Pelletiere, Wardrip, & Crow- ley, 2008). The minimum wage does not translate to a realistic housing wage, leaving millions of people in unstable and/or substandard housing conditions in this country. Homeless shelters are full in many localities throughout the nation with predic- tions of bed shortages in the future. Housing and oppression As with many social and economic issues, barriers to obtaining safe and affordable housing are magnified for traditionally oppressed groups affected by racism, sexism, able- ism, ageism, heterosexism, classism, ethnocentrism, and adultism. The research findings that follow help to illuminate these connections between sexual violence, housing and oppression. - Sixty-one percent of homeless girls and 19% of homeless boys report sexual abuse as the reason for leaving home (Estes & Weiner, 2001). - The amount of homeless LGBTIQ homeless youth in the U.S. ranges from 35% to 50% of all homeless youth (Ray, 2006). - According to the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (2010) Resident Characteristics Report, 34% of residents living in public housing have a disability. - In a study of rural women who had been sexually assaulted, the women indicated that without housing, other services to address the violence were not likely to be helpful (Logan, 2005). - In a national study of sexual assault advocates, 58% of respondents reported incidents of tenants being sexually assaulted by landlords (Keeley, 2006). - According to the National Runaway Switchboard, “LGBT homeless youth are seven times more likely than their heterosexual peers to be victims of a crime” (Ray, 2006, p.3). - According to a study of homeless and marginally housed people, 32% of women, 27% of men, and 38% of transgendered persons reported either physical or sexual victimization in the previous year (Kushel et al., 2003). - In a sample of racially diverse homeless mothers, 92% reported that they had experienced severe physical or sexual violence during their lives; 43% reported child sexual abuse in childhood (Goodman, Fels & Glenn, 2006). What advocates can do Safe, affordable, and stable housing can be a protective factor against both sexual violence perpetration and victimization. Research on sex offender treatment and management finds that stable housing, supportive resources, and employment are critical to preventing recidivism. Research also shows that victims often lose their housing due to sexual violence and that a lack of housing options can put them at greater risk for further victimization. For more information about how advocates and allied partners can address housing as both an interventive and preventive resource, please contact the National Sexual Violence Resource Center at resources@nsvrc.org or 1-877-7393895. References Casteel, C., Martin, S.L., Smith, J.B., Gurka, K.K., & Kuper, L.L., (2008). National study of physical and sexual assault among women with disabilities. Injury Prevention, 14, 87-90. doi: 10.1136/ip.2007.016451 Estes, R. & Weiner, N. (2001). Commercial sexual exploitation of children in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania. Goodman, L., Fels, K., & Glenn, C. (2006). No safe place: Sexual assault in the lives of homeless women. Retrieved from: National Online Resource Center on Violence Against Women: http://www.vawnet.org/Assoc_Files_VAWnet/AR_SAHomelessness.pdf. Keeley, T. (2006). Landlord sexual assault and rape of tenants: Survey findings and advocacy approaches. Clearinghouse Review: Journal of Poverty Law and Policy, 40 (7-8), 441-450. Kushel, M., Evans, J., Perry, S., Robertson, M., & Moss, A. (2003). No door to lock: Victimization among homeless and marginally housed persons. Archive of Internal Medicine, 163 2492-2499. Retrieved from American Medical Association: http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/163/20/2492. Logan, TK, Evans, L., Stevenson, E., & Jordan C. E. (2005). Barriers to services for rural and urban survivors of rape. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 20, 591-616. doi:10.1177/0886260504272899 Mindlin, J.E. & Vickers, S.H. (Eds.) (2007). Beyond the criminal justice system: Using the law to help restore the lives of sexual assault victims. Boston, MA: Victim Rights Law Center, Inc. Pelletiere, D., Wardrip, K.E. & Crowley, S. (2008). Out of reach: 2007-2008. National Low Income Housing Coalition: http://www.nlihc.org/oor/oor2008. Ray, N. (2006). Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth: An epidemic of homelessness. New York: National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Policy Institute and the National Coalition for the Homeless. West, C.M. (2006). Sexual violence in the lives of African American women: Risk, response, and resilience. Harrisburg, PA: VAWnet. Retrieved December 18, 2009 from http://new.vawnet.org/Assoc_Files_VAWnet/AR_SVAAWomen.pdf. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. (2010). Resident characteristics report. Retrieved from: http://www.hud.gov/offices/pih/systems/pic/50058/rcr NSVRC 123 North Enola Drive Enola, PA 17025 Toll free: 877-739-3895 www.nsvrc.org resources@nsvrc.org This project was supported by Cooperative Agreement #1VF1CE001751-01 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. © 2010 National Sexual Violence Resource Center. All rights reserved.