Supporting Vulnerable Populations To Thrive By Changing Housing And Health Care Systems

memorial to victims of domestic violence
A memorial to victims of domestic violence is a start. Housing and support would be more help the living.

This post starts with an article from New South Wales, Australia, where statistics about levels of domestic violence during COVID have just been published. As the reporter notes, the connection between crises and a rise in domestic violence was known before the pandemic. In one sense, the findings are confirming that again1. The author calls for more funding to go toward services to enable people to leave violent relationships. Social housing construction, at a rate of 5,000 units per year is at the top of her list.

The reporter notes that Indigenous women and women with disabilities experience domestic violence at disproportionately high levels, compared to the population as a whole. With this in mind let’s look at the report called In Plain Sight: Addressing Indigenous-specific Racism and Discrimination in B.C. Health Care. Investigating how a health care system in British Columbia, Canada serves Indigenous people might seem like a bit of jump shift from domestic violence during COVID, but bear with us.

In Plain Sight reveals, among other things, how the COVID emergency blocked access to care and treatment for Indigenous populations. The report also deals with indigenous women’s experiences with the health system for care following violent encounters as well as experiences of Indigenous people with disabilities.

In Plain Sight draws on surveys and first person accounts from patients, patient advocates, family members and health care professionals. It traces how the historic relationship between health services and Indigenous people contributes to Indigenous people’s wariness and distrust. And as the investigators found, negative treatment experiences in today’s health system continue to justify the wariness and distrust.

Both the article about women’s experience of domestic violence in New South Wales and In Plain Sight are worth considering for any organization or jurisdiction that is intent on equitable access to services and supports. Both reports identify that safe, secure and affordable housing is a key to creating communities where all people can thrive. As well, the reports recommend reforms to health and social care systems, which continue to deliver indifferent and even downright destructive treatment of women.

What should health and social care systems look like? An article in Politico reports on the PurPLE Clinic2 in New York City. The physician founder, Anita Ravi, decided that much more could be done to support people who experience domestic violence. PurPLE connects social and health care providers to support people who are leaving violent relationships and people who continue to live in them. Services and supports vary from one individual to another. Very importantly for the clients, the services are not time limited and all are free of charge.

The article about domestic violence in New South Wales is published by womens AGENDA: In NSW alone, 60,000 women experienced abuse for first time in 2020

In Plain Sight is published by the Government of British Columbia: In Plain Sight: Addressing Indigenous-specific Racism and Discrimination in B.C. Health Care

The article about the PurPLE clinic is published by Politico: A New Approach to Domestic Violence

Footnotes

  1. In the first year of the pandemic, 60,000 women in New South Wales experienced domestic abuse for the first time. Violent incidents escalated for another 45,000 with previous experience of domestic violence.
  2. The clinic is named for PurPose: Listen and Engage