DV Statistics

The Need...

• Every 15 seconds a woman is beaten (the national average).
• Domestic violence results in more medically treatable injuries than rape, accidents, and muggings combined.
• 2 out of 5 women who are murdered are killed by their husbands.
• Violence in the home becomes more frequent and severe with time.
• 25% to 45% of all women who are battered are battered during pregnancy.
• Domestic abuse in Indiana costs taxpayers $30,000 per family.
• Domestic violence strikes 1 in 4 families and only 1 out of 10 cases is actually reported. It is expected that the reporting ratio in Hendricks County may be lower because the county had long been without services available for victims.

The Response...

Since opening...

• We have handled crisis situations for more than 5,000 families
• We became a safe and sure home for hundreds of women and children every year
• More than 20,000 people are educated every year about the impact of domestic violence
• Over 70% of families who come to Sheltering Wings, leave to safe homes with economically and emotionally independent lives
• We average over 30 individuals living at the shelter on any given day
• Volunteers donate over 8,000 hours of their time every year
• We have continued to serve women from Hendricks and surrounding counties because Hendricks County women sometimes need to leave the county as well
• The average length of stay has been 45 days.

Profile of a Woman: 2006

• Average length of stay: 42 days
• 74% of women had children (newborn - 17yrs)
  (Number of women with children: 70. Number of women without kids: 24)
• Average Age of women: 34
  (Oldest woman was 59; Youngest was 18.)
• 60% earned less than $10,000
  (Highest, $40,000; Lowest, $0)