During the COVID-19 lockdown, calls for help to domestic violence hotlines have grown shorter and more frantic. One woman shared her story with NBC News.
has been providing online live chat and text messaging for more than a decade, local hotlines often only have the capacity to take calls. Some, like Kreidman's, have pushed to add texting or website live chat services in the last two months. Others said more victims are contacting them through Facebook messages.
To keep residents safe and comply with public health guidelines, shelters around the country have reduced capacity. Many have limited the number of staff on site at any given time, asked residents to stay in their rooms when possible, and placed six-foot markers in shared areas. Some have created quarantine space out of a room with a private bathroom, in case anyone requesting assistance shows symptoms or is awaiting a coronavirus test result.
With capacity reduced in many places, organizations are turning to hotels to insure they can provide housing to those in need. Hotels with unfilled rooms are offering many shelters discounts, but housing victims in them brings additional challenges, keeping them isolated and more difficult for service providers to be in regular contact with.
"We received a grant from the Community Foundation of the Ozarks for $10,000 to help us with our hotel placements, but in the month of April we spent $13,000," said executive director Jessica Hill."At one point, we had 20 people in the shelter and 20 people in the hotel. We didn't want to turn anyone away."
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