Interrelationships Among Length of Stay in a Domestic Violence Shelter, Help Received, and Outcomes Achieved

Survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV) have a variety of reasons for turning to domestic violence shelter programs. Some are seeking temporary respite and immediate safety while others are seeking longer term assistance to heal from their trauma and begin new lives. In line with these differing needs, some survivors only stay in shelter for a few days, while others may need to stay for months or even years. The current study involved secondary data analysis of an 8-state study that collected information from survivors shortly after they arrived in shelter and shortly before exit. The relationships between length of shelter stay and survivors' needs, help received, and outcomes achieved were examined. As hypothesized, length of stay was related to the number of needs reported by survivors at shelter entry, as well as the type of needs identified. Length of stay did not relate to outcomes achieved nor overall satisfaction with help received, supporting the argument that many shelter staff work from an empowering, survivor-driven philosophy to meet the myriad needs of shelter residents, and that the help they provide leads to positive outcomes. These findings substantiate the assertion that domestic violence shelters are critical resources that address far more than immediate safety needs of IPV survivors. Public Policy Relevance Statement Survivors of intimate partner violence turn to domestic violence shelters for myriad reasons and requiring different lengths of time before exiting. However, many shelters have predetermined lengths of stay (often 30 or 60 days). Shelter staff also worry that those who leave after a brief period of time did not receive what they were looking for. This study examined whether length of stay in a shelter related to survivors' needs or outcomes to impact public policies related to shelter services.