Survivors of domestic violence face serious challenges. Many struggle to find a safe place to live and put food on the table. Others struggle to find and hold a job. Protecting one’s money and other assets can also be a challenge. The Allstate Foundation Moving Ahead Curriculum can help. Domestic violence survivors deserve access to the resources they need. They deserve housing, jobs and economic resources for their families. This is true whether they leave abusive relationships or remain in them. Every story and strategy in this curriculum is designed to help survivors overcome the challenges they will meet. It explores many of the choices that may present themselves. It also identifies community resources to help survivors build financially independent lives.

Each year, millions of women throughout the world experience violence and abuse at the hands of their intimate partner. Abusers coercively control them by using a variety of tactics ranging from physical or sexual violence to emotional or psychological abuse. An additional tactic often used includes financial abuse in which the abuser controls the money in the family, exploits the victim’s financial standing, and interrupts her efforts to be self-sufficient. The impact of financial abuse can leave women financially trapped in the relationship with limited financial management skills, knowledge, or self-confidence. Indeed, survivors often mention financial barriers as a top reason for keeping them trapped by the abuser in the relationship. Curiously, little of the research on domestic violence has sought to either fully understand the impact of financial abuse or to determine which intervention strategies are most effective for the financial empowerment of survivors. Building Financial Empowerment for Survivors of Domestic Violence aims to address this critical knowledge gap by providing those who work with survivors of domestic violence with practical knowledge on how to empower the financial well-being and stability of survivors. Specifically, every practitioner, human service provider, criminal justice practitioner, financial manager, and corporate supervisor should be screening the women they encounter for economic abuse, and when such abuse is found, they should work with the women toward developing financial safety plans and refer survivors to financial empowerment programs to assist survivors to become free from abuse.

A fresh look at the response to domestic violence in the United States today by experts in their field. Responding to Domestic Violence explores the response to domestic and intimate partner violence by the criminal justice system as well as public and non-profit social service and health care agencies. After providing a brief theoretical overview of the causes of domestic violence and its prevalence in society, the expert author team covers such key topics as barriers to intervention, variations in arrest practices, the role of state and federal legislation, and case prosecution. Focusing on both survivors and offenders, the book provides a thorough exploration of modern strategies to address the realities and needs of all survivors. The new edition offers new chapters on Special Populations at Risk, Victim Services, Coercive Control, Intimate Partner Stalking, and Civil and Criminal Protection Orders. All remaining chapters have been substantially or completely rewritten to reflect the growing body of research in the field.

Should I stay married for my kids? Does this count as abuse? Why am I so unhappy? What does a healthy relationship even look like? When you’re ready for honest answers to these and other questions, The D Word shows you how to dig deep and find them—and then move forward into a better, brighter future. From the host of the critically acclaimed The Divorce Survival Guide Podcast comes a book that provides the clarity, peace, and answers women need to make empowered decisions about their marriages, break unhealthy patterns, and build the life they truly want. Every year, close to a million women struggle to decide whether to divorce their partners. Some are in relationships they know to be unsalvageable, yet they’re terrified that divorce will hurt their kids. Others feel guilt-ridden and confused over their unhappiness with a spouse who seems, to the outside world at least, to be perfectly fine. And then there are those in between, restless and aware of problems that may or may not be fixable, with no idea how to tell the difference. The D Word is the definitive yet accessible guide for everyone who wants to take control of their lives, either by ending or repairing their marriage. Written in Kate Anthony’s signature straight-talking, empowering style, The D Word is more than a practical handbook for those considering divorce. It also reveals how cultural and societal influences negatively affect our relationships and expectations, stacking the odds against women. And it provides a template for confident decision-making and lasting growth and change—whether readers choose to stay in a marriage or leave it.

This comprehensive, two-volume work examines domestic abuse in the United States and worldwide, providing research, personal stories, and primary documents that reveal the extent of the problem. An estimated 1,300 to 1,800 Americans are murdered by intimate partners each year. Far from being a problem that only impacts women, domestic violence hurts society as a whole both socially as well as financially, with an estimated direct and indirect cost of nearly $6 billion annually in the United States. This book provides a timely and thorough reference for educators, students, scholars and activists seeking to better understand the global issue of domestic abuse. The entries document the history of the domestic violence prevention movement, provide explanations for abuse, identify warning signs of hidden abuse, describe types of victims and offenders, and supply information on interventions and prevention programs. Written by an array of experts in the field, the book also integrates the personal stories of survivors and addresses abuse as a global issue by covering topics such as acid attacks and female genital mutilation.

This groundbreaking reference offers mental health professionals a rigorous, nuanced guide to working with abuse survivors with disabilities in religious communities. Expert contributors unravel complex intersections of disability, religion, and identity in the context of gender violence (including spotlights on racial, gender, and sexual minorities, Deaf persons, and men), and offer survivor-centered best practices for intervention. Chapters explore how responses from clergy and other religious figures may sometimes prevent survivors from seeking help, and how faith leaders can help to empower survivors. The concepts and research presented here support multiple purposes, from removing barriers to survivor services to working with religious communities to be more inclusive and transparent. Among the topics featured: From barriers to belonging for people with disabilities: Promising pathways toward inclusive ministry. Empowering women with intellectual disabilities to resist abuse in interpersonal relationships. Race, culture, and abuse of persons with disabilities. Ableist shame and disruptive bodies: Survivorship at the intersection of queer, trans, and disabled existence. From the narratives of survivors with disabilities: Strengths and gaps between faith-based communities and domestic violence shelters. Religion, Disability, and Interpersonal Violence brings transformative insights to psychologists, social workers, and mental health professionals across disciplines providing guidance within religious and disabled communities in their clinical practice. It also provides valuable background for researchers seeking to examine the interface between religious culture and the abuse of persons with disabilities.