Having made enormous strides since the first shelters for battered women opened in the 1970s, these institutions are still planned and operated according to local needs, regulations, and resources. There are, however, a number of universal standards, or guidelines for shelter planners, boards, staffs and volunteers. The author has interviewed a number of individuals whose work is dedicated to shelters for battered women and their children, and he supplements those interviews with additional research. This volume compiles his research through an exploration of current statistics on shelter operations, current assistance opportunities for shelters and the women who turn to them for help, and some current realities of shelter life. What works and what does not work under the widely varied conditions of actual shelters is explored in terms of setting up a new facility; potential internal and outreach services; staffing and volunteers required for 24-hour operations; budgeting issues and funding sources; admissions, processing, and counseling of residents; and overview of shelter life, including daily routines, health care and security issues; and the preparation of residents for new lives on their own.

The devastating impact of family violence on children, the links between violence and spouse abuse on child development and clinical dysfunction, children's views of violence, and strategies for intervention and prevention are considered in this volume. The authors discuss cases, conceptual models of abuse and dysfunction, and empirical research to portray the scope of the problem and explore promising avenues of resolution.

Louges book, Exposed: Battered Women Shelters, is a tell-all book of what really happens to the women and children inside these places, revealing nasty secrets: The kidnapped boy the shelter didnt report to the police; the measles epidemic that went on for over a year without being reported; counselors taking children away from their mothers; aiding and abetting illegal aliens; children living with registered child molesters; discrimination against fathers, illegally taking their children away from them; racist counselors; women and children living amongst cockroaches and mice; fraudulently received government monies; Christian shelter abusing a pregnant woman; lesbians; children sexually abused; drugs; liquor; and much more. The Director of the Deschutes County Victims Assistance Agency severed ties with a battered women shelter, refusing to send women to the shelter, stated (paraphrase): Its actions were not consistent with protecting victims. Deschutes County Deputy District Attorney Patrick Flaherty stated (paraphrase): it (battered women shelter) has an irrational anti-law enforcement attitude does not cooperate with investigations allows women suspected of being abusers into the shelter. Steven M. Basile, head of a Fatherhood Coalition chapter stated (paraphrase): Men have been unable to see their children because of false claims of abuse.

With a foreword by Barbara W. White, PhD, University of Texas at Austin The definitive work on battered women is now in a timely third edition. Considered the complete, in-depth guide to effective interventions for this pervasive social disease, Battered Women and Their Families has been updated to include new case studies, cultural perspectives, and assessment protocols. In an area of counseling that cannot receive enough attention, Dr. Robert's work stands out as an essential treatment tool for all clinical social workers, nurses, physicians, and graduate students who work with battered women on a daily basis. New chapters on same-sex violence, working with children in shelters, immigrant women affected by domestic violence, and elder mistreatment round out this unbiased, multicultural look at treatment programs for battered women.

Geographical listing. Each entry gives name of program, address, telephone number, contact person, services offered, and funding. No index.

Based upon extensive ethnographic data, “A Roof Over My Head” examines the lives of homeless women who cope with domestic violence, low-income housing shortages, and poverty. The author draws upon interviews with homeless women, interviews with housed people, and, finally, evaluations of shelter services, philosophies, and policies to get at the causes and social constructions of homelessness. “A Roof Over My Head” is a groundbreaking study that unveils the centrality of abuse and poverty in homeless women’s lives and outlines ways in which societal responses can and should be more effective. The second edition explores recent attempts to integrate homeless and battered women’s shelters and recent research on domestic violence as a cause of homelessness. It contains a new introduction that analyzes the most recent homeless policy developments and paints a picture of the homeless population today. With updated statistics and policy information throughout, the second edition of “A Roof Over My Head” illustrates why ending homelessness in the United States continues to present a thorny and complex challenge.

In 1978 Domestic Violence was not a recognized criminal offence nor a term used or understood by most Americans. There were no shelters or services for these victims and their children. The very first shelters were in England and little was known about them. Unscathed by this lack of information or workable data Kathryn had only to hear by accident about the Shelter movement in England when the “light bulb” went off and her mission was confirmed. Against all odds and with the threat of committing “professional suicide” she set out to do that which she had no earthly idea how to accomplish, establish a shelter for battered women and their children. With the encouragement of her women’s organization, The Daughter’s of Penelope the impossible became a reality. Penelope House opened on March 19, 1979 as the first Battered Women’s shelter in Alabama and the fifth such shelter in the United States.