Community Need
Individuals and families are HarborCOV's primary target population, many of whom arrive here homeless, without financial resources or support systems, and are often from different countries and cultures. Geographically, HarborCOV serves one of the most ethnically diverse and economically strained areas of Massachusetts. The four communities are home to approximately 140,000 people and have historically served as a first stop for immigrants from around the world.
Harbor Area Demographics
Census 2000 data shows a $30,161 median household income in Chelsea, 21% of families living below the poverty line and 25% of those with children under 18. In female-headed households in Chelsea, 42% of families with children under 18, and nearly 47% with children under 5, live below the poverty line. These families account for a little more than one-quarter of the city's families. The statewide averages are 7% for all families, 10% for families with children under 18. For female-headed households, the state averages are 31% for those with children under 18 and 42% for those with children under 5.
| Community |
Total |
White |
Latino |
Black |
Asian |
Other |
Biracial |
| Chelsea |
35,080 |
58% |
48% |
7% |
4% |
23% |
7% |
| Revere |
47,283 |
84% |
9% |
3% |
5% |
4% |
4% |
| East Boston |
38,413 |
68% |
39% |
4% |
4% |
17% |
7% |
| Winthrop |
18,303 |
94% |
3% |
2% |
1% |
2% |
1% |
| Massachusetts |
6,349,097 |
85% |
7% |
5% |
4% |
4% |
2% |
| (from Census 2000 data) |
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Poverty and the Cycle of Violence
While women of all races are about equally vulnerable to attacks by intimates, those in families with annual incomes below $10,000 are more likely than other women to be trapped in the cycle of violence. The correlation between domestic violence and poverty among female-headed households is further evidence that most women escaping domestic violence have spent all or part of their lives in poverty. Statistical data support broad recognition that financial abuse, dependence and economic insecurity contribute significantly to keeping victims in violent relationships. In the majority of cases where the batterer is the sole source of support, women often must choose between homelessness or living with abuse.
Homelessness
For too many families affected by domestic violence, homelessness is inevitable. According to a US Senate Committee, 50% of America's homeless women and children are on the streets because of violence in the home. There is a severe shortage of appropriate housing among existing domestic violence shelter and transitional programs in Massachusetts, preventing families from accessing affordable housing and the support they need to achieve permanent safety, stability and independence. Women forced to leave their homes to escape violence face the daunting challenge to survive the amount of time it takes to become economically self-sufficient without returning to their batterers in order to meet the basic food, clothing and shelter needs of themselves and their children.
Obstacles and Challenges
The road to, or back to, economic self-sufficiency often includes several steps and covers long spans of time, including job-readiness programs with waiting lists, finding affordable childcare, accessing the individual supports that work to ensure job retention and growth, repairing credit problems caused by an abusive partner, solving logistic issues when relying on public transportation — all while trying to pay rent in the Greater Boston area with little or no income for, at the very least, a year or two.
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