Homeless and Abused Women

1310 Words3 Pages

Many women in the world are faced with domestic violence. Some of these women do not have the strength to leave the man who is abusing them. Other women leave the home or relationship and will find themselves in poverty or even worse, homelessness. They aren’t always trapped in homelessness alone, sometimes they have either children or pets. If domestic violence is prevalent in a relationship a woman can either be trapped or it can lead to homelessness and in most cases being homeless is the better option and for many women who have been abused it can be hard for them to get back on their feet, especially if they have children. For my service work I went to The Shade Tree, it is an organization for homeless and abused women as well as children and their pets. While working at The Shade Tree I saw many different things. I had the opportunity to talk to a woman and hear her story. The experiences of these women may vary and the one I talked to had a positive outlook on her future but she also stated that many women in the shelter are extremely negative and only dwell on the awful things that have happened to them in the past. This woman was abused and left with her cat and found herself homeless and right now she is trying to get a job and get back on her feet, she says she hopes to get out of The Shade Tree in a few months. When I was doing volunteer work at The Shade Tree I specifically served food to the women and children that lived in the shelter. While I was there, there were many things that I saw. I saw moms struggling to care for their children, their children were often dirty and wore the same clothes almost everyday. I saw nice people as well as bitter people. Some of the women were so thankful and always thanked mysel... ... middle of paper ... ...bsite: http://www.nationalhomeless.org/factsheets/domestic.html Doorways for Women and Families. (n.d.). Impact of Family Violence on Children. Retrieved April 22, 2014, from Doorways for Women and Families website: http://www.doorwaysva.org/children-youth/ impact-of-domestic-violence-on-children/ Golbourne, C. (2014, April 13). [E-mail interview by the author]. McCue, M. L. (2008). Contemporary World Issues: Vol. 2. Domestic Violence (2nd ed.). Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO NNEDV. (n.d.). Domestic Violence, Housing, and Homeless. Retrieved April 22, 2014, from NNEDV website: http://nnedv.org/downloads/Policy/NNEDV_DVHousing__factsheet.pdf Swick, K. (2008). The Dynamics of Violence and Homelessness Among Young Families. Early Childhood Education Journal, 36(1), 81-85. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10643-007-0220-5

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