Domestic violence isn’t just one of the causes of homelessness.

It’s the leading cause, according to a recent report by CAWC (Connections for Abused Women and their Children.

“I would agree with that,” said Sharman Davenport, CEO of Turning Point, a nonprofit agency that provides services to survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking including advocacy and counseling, emergency shelter as well as programs for transitional and rapid housing.

“When they are fleeing because of the violence and fear, they’re leaving with nothing but the clothes on their backs.”

A lot of times women reaching this point in their relationship have alienated themselves from their friends and family, or so they believe, and find themselves with no place to go.

“We have both,” Davenport said. “Sometimes a woman has called our hotline and talked to an advocate about creating a plan.”

Heidi McQuade’s advocate was her mother.

After years of verbal and physical abuse that escalated to a severe beating she called her mother.

“My parents travel a lot and they were on vacation in Mexico. But I got a hold of her,” McQuade said, recalling her escape. “I called her crying and told her the situation.”

It wasn’t the first time she was physically abused by her partner and fearing for her life but something clicked in her brain this time making her realize this is not normal. This is not who you are.

Her mother took the call and came up with a plan.

“She said, ‘As soon as he leaves, pack up everything you can, pick up the kids from school and go to our house. We’ll have your brother come over and stay with you until we get home,’” McQuade

Normally, this plan would not have worked.

When her former husband had to leave the house, for whatever reason, he would never leave her home but insist that she go. This time, however, she was sick with the flu, so he let her stay home.

She took her mother’s advice and fled the house that she owned before she met him.

“After my divorce I started seeing people again and the only viable option at the time was online dating. It’s there that I met a guy who swept me off my feet,” McQuade said, recalling the journey that led to her abuse. “I had a good job at the time and a house. Everything was going great.”

Despite his residency being Ohio, they hit it off, and made an effort to see each other as often as they could.

Shortly after that he asked her to leave Michigan.

“He told me he was building a house and asked me to move there. I always wanted to be a photographer and he said I could quit my job, do that, and be a stay-at-home mom. He painted a picture of a perfect life,” said McQuade, although she knew she couldn’t just take off with her kids.

So, she talked to an attorney and was told the only way she could leave the state with her children was if she married him. So, despite the advice of her parents, she got married. She also quit her job and made the necessary arrangements to move but found out he did not own the house he was working on but suggested she sell her house so they could buy it.

That was her first red flag.

“It scared me,” she said. “This house was the only stability I had for my kids so I said ‘no.’”

But since she could not go there he moved to Michigan, and so began her journey from an independent and confident woman who had a good job that paid her bills — including the mortgage on a nice home — to a woman with no independent means other than what he allowed.

“After he moved in I started my photography business and was actually quite successful,” McQuade said.

However, it wasn’t hers alone.

He not only set up the business and website but proceeded to take control of other aspects of her life. Within a year of doing that, she received notice her car was being repossessed and shortly after that came a notice that her home was in foreclosure.

She questioned him about what was going on but he just got mad and over time his anger escalated from verbal abuse to severe beatings, until she finally left. At one point he fabricated a story about having cancer, and that brought her back into his life but she learned he was lying and the next day filed for a divorce. Even then, it was not until two years later, after he destroyed the home she owned making it impossible to sell, that she was freed by the courts.

Despite being estranged from her parents and friends in the end they had her back. They came to her rescue and gave her the support she needed to recover from her abuse, and it was during her recovery she began to question how other survivors do it.

What do women do who don’t have this kind of support?

If they escape, where can they go?

Turning Point is among the organizations that have helped women who find themselves in this situation. What began as a shelter has evolved into a village of support that begins with a call for help answered by an advocate like McQuade’s mother, to an escape plan, housing (including the emergency shelter, transitional housing and rapid housing) and a program for recovery.

“We are opening another shelter that will serve the Warren/Roseville area,” Davenport said.

That one will be able to serve about 12 or 13 women and their children.

After that there’s The Butterfly Collective.

During her recovery, McQuade found herself volunteering for the nonprofit that supports survivors who find housing but might need help with their rent, food, or other services until they’re back on their feet.

So enamored with the group was McQuade that when its president and founder left she stepped up to become its new president and has been leading the group ever since.

“All of the journeys these women take are similar but different,” McQuade said. “Since I’ve been volunteering we’ve helped probably 20 survivors a year, times four years.”

Factors contributing to homelessness in abuse survivors

One in four homeless women finds herself without shelter primarily because of partner abuse, and as of 2024, women were still the demographic experiencing intimate partner abuse at the highest rates. According to the CAWC report many factors play a role in abuse survivor homelessness, both in general and in the winter. Here are a few reasons compiled by the CAWC why there’s an urgent need for targeted interventions during colder months:

Many women who find themselves in a domestic violence situation are financially dependent on their abuser, often by the abuser’s design. This dependency often traps survivors in abusive relationships, making it difficult for them to seek help or escape. Coping with abuse can also lead to poor credit and employment histories that make it hard for survivors to qualify for rental housing.

Even someone with resources has trouble finding affordable housing and because of the scarcity many women fleeing domestic violence frequently find themselves without a safe place to go.

Domestic violence holiday spikes

There is often an increase in domestic violence during the holidays when families get together. Women may also put off leaving during the holidays for their family and children’s sake or other complex reasons. This makes it more likely that a survivor will need to flee their abuser during the winter months. Macomb County is fortunate to have several agencies that provide support for domestic violence survivors but more are needed. Domestic violence shelters or even emergency shelters that do take women and children are often at capacity during the winter months leaving women with few housing alternatives.

For more information on how to donate, volunteer or how Turning Point can help visit: turningpointmacomb.org/. For more information about donating or volunteering with the Butterfly Collective visit thebutterflycollective.org/.