Domestic violence is more than broken ribs and black eyes, said Christine B., a formerly homeless YWCA client and a mother of three.

“It’s about emotional abuse — putting her down, calling her names, making her feel like she is crazy,” said Christine, whose last name has been withheld for her protection.

“It’s about isolation — controlling who she sees, talks to, where she goes. It’s about taking away financial security — preventing her from getting a job or keeping a job. It’s about using the children against her — threats of taking them away from her. Domestic violence takes away a woman’s pride and replaces it with fear and hopelessness.”

After a 14-year marriage, Christine left her abuser and became homeless. She was unable to bring her children with her.

“I slept on truck docks and in cemeteries and ate at churches,” she said.

She eventually landed at the YWCA, where she learned the “life skills that empowered me with knowledge, courage and self-worth to become an independent woman and a productive member of society.”

Christine told her story during a press conference on Monday, October 28 announcing a $1.3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to the City of St. Louis to rapidly re-house women and children who are homeless due to domestic and sexual violence and stalking.

YWCA Metro St. Louis will implement the grant, working with the Healing Action Network for case management, ArchCity Defenders for legal assistance, and Vatterott Properties for property location.

“If I had known then that there was a place for me and my children to be safe and people to help me, it would have saved me and my children so many years of pain,” Christine said. “This program is going to save lives and more importantly empower our children to not have to live in that cycle.”

The announcement came before an audience that included survivors and others working to end homelessness in the St. Louis region. Survivors of domestic and sexual violence face unique challenges in finding housing due to the power and control dynamics in abusive relationships, said Eulonda Nevels, chief administrative officer for YWCA. The women may have poor rental histories due to repeated 911 calls or evictions and may not have been allowed to build their own credit rating. The new program is designed to meet those challenges and to quickly get women and children into permanent, safe housing. City residency is not a requirement of the program.

“It takes a village to attack a problem this broad and complex,” Nevels said. “So we are pleased to have the support of St. Martha’s Hall, ALIVE, Kathy J. Weinman, The Women’s Safe House, Safe Connections, and the National Council of Jewish Women to help us maximize the benefits of this grant.”

Calling the program “pioneering,” Mayor Lyda Krewson said that the project “will not only provide access to safe housing to give survivors a pathway to freedom, but also support in housing advocacy, community engagement and financial assistance.”

More than one in three women in the United States have experienced rape, physical violence and/or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime, according to the National Domestic Violence Hotline.

YWCA CEO Adrian Bracy said, “This grant recognizes that domestic and sexual violence are leading causes for homelessness among women and children and gives YWCA and our partners the resources to change the trajectory of these families for the positive.”

Anyone in need of homeless services in the City of St. Louis should call the Continuum of Care at 314 802-5444.

Article presented by: Rebecca Rivas Of The St. Louis American