In Homeless Shelters, Domestic Violence Prevails

Domestic violence is the most common violent incident in homeless shelters, according to a new analysis from the city.

The majority of the city's homeless are families with children. In shelters where they live, 60 percent of violent incidents last year were domestic violence. In shelters for families without children or with grown-up children the number was even higher: 80 percent.

“What we’re seeing is two-parent households coming into the shelter system and problems developing once they were there,” said Steve Banks, the Human Resources Administration Commissioner.

He said the city will reinstate a program that provides mediation and conflict resolution.

The new analysis was done as part of the city’s 90-day review of homeless services, completed on Tuesday. City officials said they were introducing more accurate reporting of so-called “critical incidents,” including separately reporting violent incidents for the first time.

As a result, 1,687 critical incidents were identified as having happened in 2015, an increase from the previously reported 620, and 826 were classified as violent incidents.