"As soon as we moved into this house, you think you can do it your way. You're my wife and I tell you what you can do and what you can't do." This type of statement is typical of what a battered woman knows is the only truth in her family. Domestic violence is on the rise and is a leading cause of homelessness among women in today's society. Rather than viewing domestic violence as a direct cause of homelessness, one might hope to understand how such violence might contribute to the circumstances that might make a woman more susceptible to homelessness. Domestic violence and poverty can intersect with other problems to produce circumstances that often leave women with no choice but to seek temporary refuge for a short time, and then remain in precarious housing. and an adequate overnight residence and has a primary overnight residence that is:A) A publicly or privately operated and supervised shelter designed to provide temporary housing.B) An institution that provides temporary residence for persons scheduled to be institutionalizedC) An public or private residence a place not designed or normally used as a normal sleeping accommodation for human beings. (Stewart B. McKinney Act, 42 USC; 11301, et seq. (1994). Under the McKinney Act (1994), this definition usually includes those people facing imminent eviction who abandon their current form of shelter. Violence Domestic battery, or battery, is the establishment of control and fear in a relationship through violence and other forms of abuse. The abuser uses acts of violence and a range of behaviors, including intimidation, threats, psychological abuse, a.. .... middle of paper ...... to increase the likelihood of women becoming homeless Female single-parent families went from 23.7% of all families in poverty in 1960 to 52.6%. of all households in poverty in the mid-1990s (Hagen, 1994) As a result of the historical growth in female poverty and homelessness in female-headed households, it has become increasingly important for research to focus on sets. unique to the issues and problems that female homelessness presents. Bibliography: 1.) Somers, Amy. Survivors of domestic violence, homelessness: A national perspective. 2.1992.) National Research Council. Understanding Violence Against Women, Washington, DC: National Academy of Press. 1996.3.) Alexander, J. (1999, May 30). Homeless women accuse domestic violence. BBC News, pp. C3.4.) Hagen, J. (1996). Gender and homelessness. Social service 32 (July/August). 312-316.