Increase in domestic violence drives need for more help for victims

Domestic violence in Indiana rose by 181 percent during the pandemic.

Coburn Place in Indianapolis, which provides housing options and support services to survivors of domestic violence, found itself overrun with calls for help.

“I think a lot of this has to do with the stressors that the pandemic unleashed in terms of economic stressors, and really a lack of access to resources, both support service resources, and then also a real lack of access to affordable and safe housing,”  Coburn Place Vice President of Development Julie Henson said.

Henson said on any given day, 500 families in Central Indiana are homeless because of domestic violence.  Coburn Place has the capacity to serve about 120 families.

Coburn Place has a flagship building on 38th Street in a former elementary school. It has 35 apartments on site where clients and their families can live rent and utility free for up to two years.  There is also community-based housing, where clients can pick what housing choice they like out in the community. Coburn Place helps with rent and utilities for up to a year.

Coburn Place recently received a $50,000 grant from Glick Philanthropies to help with costs.

“Part of it will be used to help with wellbeing services. So, you know, once survivors and their kids are housed, we know that that's not enough,” Henson said. “We know that the path to healing is really what helps people build a fresh start. So, this funding source is going to help us be able to provide those healing services through staff advocacy and through programming.”

The grant was part of $1.37 million recently awarded from Glick Philanthropies to help nonprofit organizations in Central Indiana.

Contact WFYI Morning Edition newscaster and reporter Taylor Bennett at tbennett@wfyi.org. Follow on Twitter: @TaylorB2213.