Domestic Violence

Domestic violence is a pattern of coercive tactics that can include physical, psychological, sexual, economical and emotional abuse perpetrated by one person (generally a man over a woman) against an adult intimate partner, with the goal of establishing and maintaining power and control over the victim. Domestic violence occurs in all ethnic, religious, socio-economic, sexual preference, and age groups.

Domestic violence is one of the most underreported crimes in the United Stated. It is estimated that every 15 seconds in the US, a woman is abused by someone who has told her that he loves her. Although there is a growing awareness of violence against women and the issues that foster this violence, domestic violence is on the rise. In New York City, the Mayor's Office to Combat Domestic Violence reported that in 2003, that there were 147,169 calls answered by the NYC Domestic Violence Hotline. In 2004, there were over 155,375 calls answered by the aforementioned hotline.

OUR APPROACH

URI is one the largest minority operated not-for-profits that provides domestic violence services to victims of domestic violence in shelter environments. URI operates both emergency shelters as well as transitional shelters. Our three emergency shelters are located in New York City's boroughs of Brooklyn and Manhattan, and can accommodate a combined total of 321 women and children. The name and the hotline number for each emergency shelter is listed below.

The emergency shelters assist each resident by immediately providing a safe environment that protects both women and children from the abuser. By initially offering crisis intervention services to each resident, within a warm and caring setting, the adult resident and her dependent child(ren) are able to begin increasing their awareness and understanding of the impact of domestic violence and begin the healing process. In addition, URI emergency shelters offer comprehensive services to assist resident with their goals that include living an independent life free of abuse.

For those residents who require additional time to heal from the abuse and prepare emotionally, educationally, socially, and financially for a life independent of their abusers, URI provides safe transitional shelter to victims of domestic violence and their dependent children at the Urban Center for Change (UCC). Residents have access to a range of services in line with their needs that includes assistance with securing permanent housing. All residents of UCC are referred from one of New York City's Domestic Violence Emergency Shelters; therefore UCC does not operate a hotline.

The Lewis. E. Bingham National Domestic Violence Library and Clearinghouse (http://www.ndvl.org)

The URI library, located in Northern Harlem, maintains a specialized collection of books, journals, and research studies, and other material related to domestic violence and can be visited by appointment. The library's website includes the complete library listing, current conferences and events nationwide, resources for survivors, and nationwide domestic violence links. The website also posts abstracts of URI's domestic violence research and journal publications. A leader in domestic violence research since 1994, the URI Research and Evaluation Team has presented at national and local conferences and published findings in scholarly journals.