Amar Chai Initiative

Survivors of domestic violence deserve safety, and securing safe housing is often an essential step on their journey. On average, nearly 20 people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner in the United States. In one year, this equates to more than 10 million victims.

Domestic violence is one of the primary causes of homelessness for women and their children in the United States. According to the National Network to End Domestic Violence, between 22 and 57 percent of women and children are homeless due to domestic violence, with 38 percent of all victims experiencing homeless at some point in their lives due to domestic violence.  Victims who leave their abusive partner multiple times due to domestic violence often experience multiple events of homelessness. 

When a victim of domestic violence chooses to leave their abusive partner, safe and affordable housing is one of the primary barriers they will face for themselves and their children.  In a one day survey conducted in 2016, more than 41,000 adults and children fleeing domestic violence found refuge in emergency shelters or transitional housing programs.  Out of 11,991 unmet requests that day for domestic violence services, 66 percent were for housing and shelter. In another nationwide study, more than half (51.5 percent) of the victims who identified a need for housing services did not receive them.

While the solutions to addressing domestic violence and its related consequences must encompass a broad range of interventions and options for domestic violence survivors, strategies must be trauma-informed and survivor-centered.  The goal is to truly empower survivors of domestic violence, providing them with the tools to establish economic self-sufficiency, short-term goal-setting, and long-term planning for their futures.

To support this effort, Bellocq will be contributing a portion of retail and wholesale 2022 Q4 sales from our no. 139, Amar Chai, a supportive blend, to New York City based Henry Street Settlement, Violence Survivors Shelter. 

To learn more:

Henry Street Settlement: 

https://www.henrystreet.org/programs/housing/domestic-violence-survivors-shelter/

Additional information from the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV):

https://nnedv.org/latest_update/16-things-may-not-know-housing-survivors/