A Woman's Place Prepares For Increase in Domestic Violence Cases During Home Isolation

As the community hunkers down to defend against COVID-19, Greeley’s domestic violence shelter is preparing to see more need.  

Social distancing and stay-at-home orders work to keep folks away from each other. That’s the whole point. While those techniques aim to stop the spread of COVID-19,  they also isolate people experiencing abuse, said Brittany Enlow-Gance, outreach coordinator at A Woman’s Place.

“We do expect it to cause a problem with people living with an abuser,” said Enlow-Gance.

Not only does it prevent victims from seeking out emotional support from friends and family, abusers might be spending a lot more time at home too, she said, as more people are being encouraged to work remotely. Statewide, domestic violence experts are already seeing a rise in calls, according to a report by the Colorado Independent. 

That goes for child abuse too. 

According to a report in The Atlantic, “child neglect and abuse tend to track with greater traumatic events, economic instability and stress.” 

The El Paso County Department of Human Services told News5 it sees its childabuse workload increase in times of crisis.  

“We haven’t noticed an increased need for our services yet, but we expect we will, especially if people are isolated at home with a shelter-at-home order,” Enlow-Gance said.  

In a press conference Wednesday afternoon, Governor Jared Polis announced a statewide stay-at-home order. Under the order, folks are required to stay home except for “essential activities,” such as grocery shopping and limited outdoor exercise. 

Enlow-Gance said victims should still try to find a good support system, such as someone who can come get you in an emergency or even call the police for you. 

“Even if it’s via text right now, set up a safety plan,” she said. “See if your support system can text you and check in or call you a couple times a day, especially if you’re stuck at home with your abuser.” 

As for A Woman’s Place, the shelter is open and ready to help, Enlow-Gance said. The shelter has 29 beds and four cribs. If the community need exceeds the space it has, A Woman’s Place plans to refer folks out to other shelters in northern Colorado. 

In an interview with The Colorado Independent, Amy Miller, executive director of Violence Free Colorado, a domestic violence coalition, spoke of her concerns. 

“I’m very concerned that we will end up with a lot more individual survivors and survivors with children who will become homeless,” Miller told the Independent. “I am worried that homicides will increase. Physical violence will probably escalate, and what does that mean also for a health care system already pushed beyond capacity by people affected by COVID-19?”

According to a report by the Boulder Beat, “SPAN, a Boulder nonprofit providing resources for survivors, estimates its weekly expenses will go up by $10,000 per week.” 

Enlow-Gance said A Woman’s Place doesn’t have projections  on how much an uptick in need might cost. 

A Woman’s Place is structured around temporary communal living. That makes following the guidelines put in place by Governor Jared Polis and the Center for Disease Control difficult, Enlow-Gance said, but the shelter is doing what it can. 

“We aren’t letting people gather in the big common area,” Enlow-Gance said. “We also implemented increased sanitation, like bleaching the house every Wednesday and sanitizing frequently touched areas like doorknobs every shift, so three times per day.” 

With all the extra sanitation procedures, the shelter is burning through cleaning supplies more quickly. With all the panic-buying, Enlow-Gance said, the shelter is worried about having enough. That goes for food too. 

Want to help?

You can donate to A Woman’s Place through a Target registry at tgt.gifts/awpweld.