Shelters for Battered Women and Their Children;A Comprehensive Guide to Planning and Operating Safe and Caring Residential Programs

Having made enormous strides since the first shelters for battered women opened in the 1970s, these institutions are still planned and operated according to local needs, regulations, and resources. There are, however, a number of universal standards, or guidelines for shelter planners, boards, staffs and volunteers. The author has interviewed a number of individuals whose work is dedicated to shelters for battered women and their children, and he supplements those interviews with additional research. This volume compiles his research through an exploration of current statistics on shelter operations, current assistance opportunities for shelters and the women who turn to them for help, and some current realities of shelter life. What works and what does not work under the widely varied conditions of actual shelters is explored in terms of setting up a new facility; potential internal and outreach services; staffing and volunteers required for 24-hour operations; budgeting issues and funding sources; admissions, processing, and counseling of residents; and overview of shelter life, including daily routines, health care and security issues; and the preparation of residents for new lives on their own.