What Effect Does Domestic Violence Have on Homeless NYC Students?

Photo Credit: BUddhika - stock.adobe.com Though not exclusive to the United States, domestic violence pervades every stratum of American society, crossing age, ethnic, socioeconomic, religious and other boundaries. Given the exact wrong set of circumstances, anybody can become a victim. In fact, in New York City, domestic violence has been the leading cause of homelessness for families with minor children for the past eight years. This blog post will explore the effect domestic violence has on homeless NYC students as well as potential solutions. How Many Homeless NYC Students Have Experienced Domestic Violence? Though the exact number fluctuates with the given fiscal year, approximately 40 percent of families with children who have entered a Department of Homeless Services (DHS) shelter report domestic violence as the cause of their homelessness. [ 1 ] As of March 16, 2025, 18,135 families resided in one of our city’s shelters. [ 2 ] This equates to roughly 7,254 fam...