Today’s blog post is written in collaboration with Stepping Stone Shelter to highlight those who become unhoused when fleeing domestic violence or sexual violence. While this subject matter is heavy, there is hope in collaborative services and organizations like Stepping Stones, which support survivors one step at a time in rebuilding whole lives.
A Crisis Hiding in Plain Sight
Kalah Riley, Executive Director of Stepping Stone Shelter, a domestic violence shelter serving our community, sees this reality every day. “We see people who flee, individuals, male and female, families, who come from all economic backgrounds,” she explains. “When you’re talking about the unlikely unhoused, we don’t see just people who are in a lower economic bracket or people who are struggling financially. It genuinely is all sorts of people from all walks of life.”
In September, Stepping Stone Shelter answered 212 crisis calls. Each call represents someone at a crossroads, weighing the terrifying prospect of leaving against the danger of staying.
The statistics paint a sobering picture of Indiana’s domestic violence crisis. According to recent data, 42.5% of people in Indiana experience domestic violence in their lifetime, significantly higher than in many other states. Kalah puts it more simply, “So 3 out of 5 women in the state of Indiana, which is 60% of women, experience sexual violence in their lifetime. For men, it’s 25% or one in 4 men in the state will experience sexual and or domestic violence.”
Indiana ranks the lowest, with an “F” rating when it comes to domestic violence due to our lack of protective laws for survivors and high rates of domestic violence.
Economic Stress and Rising Violence
The connection between economic hardship and violence is not abstract; it’s immediate and devastating. Kalah sees it clearly, almost daily at Stepping Stones: “Because of the economic status that’s going on, with energy costs going up, people losing their benefits, all of these things create violence. They create an uptick in violence.”
She continues, “The stressors that it causes on the average American family… it creates the perfect storm for violent acts.”
The data support what advocates, like Stepping Stone Shelter, are witnessing on the ground. According to the Indiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Indiana experienced a 181% increase in domestic violence homicides between 2020 and mid-2021. The Indiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence reported 83 fatalities as a result of domestic violence.
In talking with Kalah, she shared another sobering statistic; she recounted that the number of domestic violence incidents rose sharply during the pandemic, and while many thought these numbers would decline post-pandemic, that has not been the case in Indiana. The numbers in Indiana continue to rise.
When Violence Leads to Homelessness
The relationship between violence and homelessness is direct and devastating. Close to 60% of women experiencing homelessness report domestic violence as the immediate cause, according to the National Domestic Violence Hotline. Furthermore, more than 90% of unhoused women have experienced severe physical or sexual abuse at some point in their lives, according to the American Bar Association.
“Violence does not prefer one class over the other. It doesn’t prefer one gender over the other. It doesn’t prefer one age group,” Kalah emphasized. “It affects everybody. We’ve experienced doctors, law enforcement, teachers, and other kinds of professionals. It would probably cause people to go, ‘Oh, I never would have imagined.'”
Many times, those who flee literally have no choice but to stay. When survivors flee, they leave behind home, vehicles, jobs, and sometimes risk custody of their children. To flee into the unknown can be the ultimate act of courage. Kalah also shared that the most dangerous time in a domestic violence relationship is often when one flees. So, for those leaving, walking out into the unknown, it is essential to have a safe place to shelter.
Indiana’s Domestic Violence Shelter Shortage
Indiana faces one of the most severe domestic violence shelter shortages in the nation. A sobering statistic from Break the Cycle states that “95% of shelter requests go unmet,” ranking Indiana the worst rate in the entire country. As mentioned earlier, Indiana is the only state to receive an “F” rating for its response to domestic violence, due to high rates, limited legal protections, and severe shelter shortages.
When someone finds the courage to leave, they’re often met with waiting lists and turned away from full shelters.
“Every crisis call, at the bare minimum, we offer a safety plan,” Kalah explains. “What is it going to take for you to be safe where you’re at? We have emergency shelter and transitional housing specifically for survivors. But we also offer other services, legal advocacy, and medical accompaniment. If we don’t provide the exact service, we try to connect them with somebody (community partners).”
The Reality of Sexual Violence
The Indiana Coalition to End Sexual Assault states that sexual violence is deeply intertwined with the homelessness crisis in Indiana. Half of the women in Indiana have been victims of unwanted sexual contact in their lifetime, and an intimate partner assaulted more than 39% of female rape survivors. For many, sexual assault occurs in their own homes, perpetrated by someone they know. When home becomes the site of trauma, leaving becomes a matter of survival, even if it means facing homelessness. Research shows that 38% of domestic violence victims become homeless at some point in their lives, according to an article by the YWCA.
Hope Takes Courage
Throughout our conversation, Kalah returned to a powerful theme: the importance of hope and community support. She shared the campaign message from Stepping Stone Shelter’s current fundraiser: “Pull up a seat. The story belongs to everybody because so many people are still writing their story.”
“Hope, in general, takes courage,” Kalah reflects. “People need others-officials, but also neighbor Bob, to pull up alongside them and say, ‘How can I help you pick the pen back up? How can I help you have the courage to keep writing?’ Because that really is what it takes. It takes immense courage.” Domestic Violence may be a chapter in one’s life, but it certainly does not have to be the end, and organizations like Stepping Stones Shelter ensure that there is support there for those who need it.
For survivors of domestic and sexual violence, that courage means making the difficult choice to leave. For our community, courage means ensuring that when they do, they find safety, shelter, and support.
If You or Someone You Know Needs Help
- National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-SAFE (7233)
- Indiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence 24-Hour Hotline: 1-800-332-7385
- Text/Chat Available: Text “START” to 88788
- To learn more about Stepping Stones Shelter, visit their website: https://steppingstoneshelter.org/
Note: To ensure that we are providing adequate resources when speaking on educational topics Nest will be providing the sources quoted in our blog posts.
Sources
- Domestic Violence By State 2025. DataPandas. May 24, 2025. https://www.datapandas.org/ranking/domestic-violence-by-state
- Scott, Rachel. “Homelessness compounds the danger of domestic violence.” Indianapolis Recorder, September 9, 2024. https://indianapolisrecorder.com/homelessness-compounds-the-danger-of-domestic-violence/
- Scott, Rachel. Indianapolis Recorder, 2024.
- “IN domestic violence rates remain at troubling levels.” Public News Service, October 16, 2023. https://www.publicnewsservice.org/2023-10-16/domestic-violence-sexual-assault/in-domestic-violence-rates-remain-at-troubling-levels/a86748-1
- “45 domestic violence-related homicides so far in Indiana in 2024.” WTHR, 2024. https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/45-domestic-violence-related-homicides-reported-in-indiana-this-year-network-impd-coalition-caryn-burton-lafayette-reserve-officer/531-5ff4d09d-9029-4c52-87cb-c8ede09ef120
- “Addressing Domestic and Intimate Partner Violence.” Women’s Fund of Central Indiana, August 12, 2024. https://www.womensfund.org/addressing-domestic-and-intimate-partner-violence/
- Barnes Griffin, WaTasha. “Newsletter: Sexual Assault and Homelessness Intertwined.” YWCA Central Indiana, March 31, 2025. https://ywcacentralindiana.org/2025/03/sexual-assault-and-homelessness-intertwined/
- “Domestic Violence Statistics by State 2024.” Break the Cycle, November 1, 2024. https://www.breakthecycle.org/domestic-violence-statistics-by-state/
- “Stats – Indiana Coalition to End Sexual Assault (ICESA).” August 5, 2025. https://www.endsexualassault.org/stats/
