Domestic Violence on the Rise, Shelters Coping with Demand

By Jennifer Pierce, NEWS 9

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Domestic violence shelters across the state are seeing an increase in the need for services.

Some shelters are turning women away. It's not just the YWCA in Oklahoma City that is at capacity. Shelters in Tulsa are full for the first time ever. It seems the nation's financial crisis is now putting Oklahoma families in danger.

"Anything that decreases that person that's likely to perpetrate that violence decreases their sense of control, it raises the intensity," said YWCA President and CEO Janey Peery. "It raises the events of domestic violence."

The YWCA has to turn away anywhere from 20 to 60 people every month. They refer battered women to local agencies, but even those shelters are filling up.

"When we are full and referring to other shelters we're having to go further and further out because everybody else is staying full," Peery said. "It's difficult for them to make that trek, especially if they have children to move them out that distance."

The economy has also put a strain on the agency's budget. State funding and donations keep the YWCA's domestic violence shelter and other programs going.

Even if dollar support is down, community support remains high. The YWCA is working with community leaders to protect victims of domestic violence and rape.

The Oklahoma County district attorney and local law enforcement signed a public agreement to be the first defense for battered women and sexual assault victims.

Nationally, domestic violence hotlines are reporting a 20 percent increase in calls since the recession began.