Victims Of Domestic Violence, and The Economy

Area Struggles to Cope As Reports of Abuse Rise

The calls seeking help have come in each month by the dozens, sometimes nearly doubling the number a month before. A woman, concerned about abuse from her recently unemployed husband, is looking for a haven. A relative, worried about a sister, mother or daughter, wants to know how and where to get her help.

Throughout Southern Maryland and the Washington region, the calls for help about domestic violence have risen as the economy remains in the doldrums.

There are "an increased number of people losing their jobs, a huge economic stressor for the family, which can lead to violence. If the loss of the job leads to a loss of home, that further fuels the potential violence," said David I. Gale, director of crisis intervention at the Calvert County Health Department. "These stressors are causing people to react violently because they haven't been in that kind of stressor before."

This year, the Calvert County Sheriff's Office created a position to deal solely with domestic violence. From January to March, deputies and detectives responded to 55 calls related to domestic assaults or violations of protective orders.

In the next three months, that number increased to 82, said Sgt. Timothy K. Fridman of the Domestic Response Team, a partnership between the offices of the sheriff and the state's attorney and the Crisis Intervention Center. Fridman said he had already reviewed 25 cases this month.

In St. Mary's County, deputies responded to 52 calls related to domestic violence in January. That number increased to 83 last month. There were seven violations of a protection order in January and 28 last month, according to St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office statistics.

Crisis counselors at a St. Mary's hotline take on average 10 calls a month from first responders, who determine whether the safety of the caller is at risk. If they decide the risk is high, Walden Sierra, a counseling center for individuals suffering from trauma or addiction, is alerted.

There were 20 calls in April and 18 in May, said Laura Webb, a community development manager at Walden Sierra. The number dropped to 11 last month.

She said that challenging economic times make it even more difficult for victims to leave an abuser.

National studies indicate that on average, it takes women five to eight attempts to leave an abuser, Webb said. Finding a job, supporting themselves and their children, finding affordable housing and getting help from family and friends all become more difficult when money is tight, she said.

The limited shelter space in Southern Maryland does not help the problem, officials said.

Safe Harbor, the women's shelter in Calvert, has 23 beds and is full, Gale said. As a result, it must turn people away.

"One of the problems is we have very little transitional housing in the county. When we are dealing with domestic violence and the loss of a home, this increases the stay," Gale said. "We have more people applying to get into the shelter" who are homeless rather than victims of domestic violence.

Long-term stays also are a problem in St. Mary's, but officials are working on the issue, Webb said.

Walden Sierra can accommodate someone for about three nights, but other area shelters might be able to provide for longer stays, she said.

Staff writer Chris L. Jenkins contributed to this report.