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Domestic Violence, Homelessness, And The Culture Of Victim Blaming, Sybil Gelin (Class Of 2014)

Sociology Undergraduate Publications

Domestic violence is the leading cause of homelessness among women and children. According to a 1997 survey of ten cities in the United States, 57% of homeless families left their homes due to domestic abuse (ACLU, 2008). One of the reasons that victims of domestic violence constitute a significant portion of the homeless population is the “zero tolerance” or “one-strike” policies of landlords. These policies authorize landlords to evict tenants once violence transpires in their residences, regardless of whether the tenant is responsible for or is the victim of domestic abuse. What is more, the adoption and enforcement of these …