The Reported Availability of U.S. Domestic Violence Services to Victims Who Vary by Immigration Status, Primary Language, and Disability

Abstract

This article is the second of a two-part series that investigates the reported availability of domestic violence (DV) services for individuals in traditionally underserved populations. This specific article focuses on immigrants, individuals with limited English language skills, and individuals with disabilities. The sample consisted of 213 DV agency directors from across the nation who responded about the availability of services in their agencies in several different domains: housing, legal, counseling/mental health, education, transportation, and outreach services. The results indicate a fairly high level of services across the board, especially with regard to serving immigrants, individuals with limited English language skills, and individuals with disabilities. Services for individuals with hearing impairments and undocumented immigrants were less available. Recommendations for practice and future research are discussed.