HARTFORD — A report by the Connecticut Women’s Education and Legal Fund shows the average length of stay at domestic violence shelters in Connecticut has increased over several years.
The study released Tuesday determined the average length of stay in a shelter in 2013 was 37 days, a 42 percent increase from the average length of stay of 26 days in 2007.
Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence CEO Karen Jarmoc attributes the longer stays to limited options for permanent housing. She says the situation is creating a challenge for shelters, which have a policy of never turning people away.
Jarmoc says, for example, there were 312 shelter and transitional beds available when 332 domestic violence victims sought refuge on Sept. 16, 2015. She says people slept on sofas and rollaway beds.
