Citation

Iyengar R, Sabik L. Health Aff. (Hope) 2009; 28(6): w1052-65.

Affiliation

Department of Economics, London School of Economics.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2009, Project HOPE - The People-to-People Health Foundation)

DOI

10.1377/hlthaff.28.6.w1052

PMID

19773252

Abstract

Domestic violence is a serious, preventable health problem affecting more than thirty million Americans annually, yet little is known about federally funded service provision. We used the National Census of Domestic Violence Services, an innovative victim-safety focused survey, to count services provided by more than 2,000 programs. During the twenty-four-hour survey period, 48,350 people used these services. The results show substantial unmet demand for services (10 percent of requests) because of resource constraints, particularly in rural, economically disadvantaged, and minority communities. Greater funding of domestic violence programs, particularly housing support, is likely to be a cost-effective public health investment.

Language: en