Providing a Citywide System of Single Point Access to Domestic Violence Information, Resources, and Referrals to a Diverse Population: An Evaluation of the City of Chicago Domestic Violence Help Line, 2004-2005

Analysis of Shelter Utilization by Victims of Domestic Violence Quantitative and Qualitative Analysis: Final Technical Report

“…Further strengthening the design is that throughout, this project has employed a collaborative research approach. Continuing a research partnership first formed between Loyola University's Center for Urban Research and Learning and Chicago's Mayors Office on Domestic Violence in a National Institute of Justice funded evaluation study of the diverse users of the City of Chicago Domestic Violence Help Line (Fugate, George, Haber, & Stawiski, 2005), we have worked closely with the Mayor's Office on Domestic Violence and shelter staff in framing this research and utilizing their expertise and insights as we developed our final methodology, our research instruments and proceeded with the analysis of data. Below, we describe each source of data and the questions it was used to address.…”

“…Thus it is not surprising that only a small percentage of individuals seeking services each year (between 10.3 and 7.7% of all victims of violence served between 1998 and 2005) received onsite shelter (Grossman, Lundy, & Benniston 2007). More specifically in Chicago, where the total number of shelter beds is 166, a recent NIJ funded evaluation conducted by Loyola University Chicago (Fugate, George, Haber and Stawiski, 2005), of the city's Domestic Violence Help Line found that 46% of women who had received referrals to the Help Line reportedly had not been able to find a shelter slot in the two weeks following receipt of a referral . Similarly, a preliminary report from the Mayor's Advisory Board notes that the evident lack of shelter bed capacity is a challenge to the domestic violence service system (Mayor's Office on Domestic Violence, 2007) Exacerbating this situation is that Chicago is going through a reorganization of its public and affordable housing stock.…”

“…There is also some indication that a perceived threat of the violence spilling over to children may be an impetus to action (Davis & Srinivasan, 1995). Fugate, George, Haber and Stawiski (2005) analyzing data from the City of Chicago Domestic Violence Help Line evaluation identified several internal barriers. All victims interviewed were considered "help-seekers" as they had called the help line.…”