Domestic Violence Counts: Census 2016 Report – Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence (WSCADV)

On September 14, 2016, 66 out of 70 (94%) identified domestic violence programs in Washington participated in the National Census of Domestic Violence Services, a one-day unduplicated count of adults and children seeking domestic violence services in the United States. This annual census documents the number of individuals who sought services in a single 24-hour period, as well as the types of services requested, the number of service requests that went unmet due to a lack of resources, and the issues and barriers that domestic violence programs face as they strive to provide services to victims of domestic violence. This report is instrumental in raising awareness about domestic violence and the incredible work that local domestic violence programs do every day.

On just one day in Washington State:

1,413 domestic violence victims found refuge in emergency shelters or transitional housing provided by local domestic violence programs.
892 adults and children received domestic violence advocacy and services other than shelter, including individual support and counseling, legal advocacy, help finding or retaining permanent housing, legal advocacy, and children’s support groups.
803 callers contacted state and local domestic violence hotlines for information, support and safety planning, averaging 33 hotline calls every hour.
345 community members learned about preventing and responding to domestic violence from advocates in their local programs.
732 requests from domestic violence survivors were turned down because programs did not have the resources to provide services including emergency shelter, housing, transportation, childcare, legal advocacy, and more.