Perpetrators of domestic violence are costing Ohio’s communities $1.2 billion a year in direct expenses and in lost economic opportunities, a new study from the Ohio Domestic Violence Network (ODVN) has found.
For Athens County, the economic cost domestic violence inflicts comes to more than $6.1 million a year.
Other statistics tell more of the story: of rising violence and more people seeking safety in Athens, a demand our emergency shelter has not been able to meet despite added capacity through transitional housing. In the last fiscal year, we were unable to provide beds at My Sister’s Place for 266 adults and 149 children seeking shelter, because our facility was full. We try hard to find other accommodations, such as using motel vouchers made available through the Ohio Domestic Violence Network.
Last year, we provided 4,506 nights of shelter – up from 2,776 in 2020, an increase of more than 60%. But the need for services fills whatever capacity we are able to provide.
Currently, the Ohio legislature is preparing to set the state budget for 2026-2027. My Sister’s Place is grateful to Gov. Mike DeWine and Attorney General Dave Yost for including $20 million in essential line-item funding for domestic violence services in their proposed budgets – a smart investment that will save Ohio much more than it spends.
For Ohio, the largest economic costs inflicted by abusers were for physical health care for victims ($264.8 million annually, or 22.9% of the total cost); loss of life ($239.9 million, or 20.8%); and loss of worker productivity ($227.7 million, or 19.7%).
Those costs ripple throughout the state with increased expenses for law enforcement and the judicial system; for incarcerating abusers; and for the long-term impact that domestic violence has on the children who witness the violence and are sometimes attacked themselves.
Intimate partner violence disrupts lives – which of course brings emotional and economic disruption as well. In one recent, somewhat typical scenario, a mom and her three children fled their home and came to shelter. Four people needed beds, the mom’s work schedule was interrupted, and the children’s school routine was disrupted. Such sudden departures often mean children have difficulty getting to school and participating in extracurriculars, or sometimes have to switch schools. The trauma of experiencing or witnessing violence at home can cause problems with attention or behavior at school.
Many survivors of domestic abuse suffer traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) from being hit in the head, strangled, thrown against a door or a wall – sometimes blacking out more times than they can count. It can leave them with neurological challenges – causing difficulty with time management, keeping track of details and problem-solving. Treatment and ongoing support is imperative for full healing.
The new study estimates that Ohio has more than 188,000 victims of intimate partner violence each year, with 114 documented fatalities from July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2024. Victims ranged from a four-month-old baby to an 85-year-old woman, and included 15 children and teenagers and five pregnant women. The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence estimates that 38% of Ohio’s women and 33% of the state’s men will experience intimate partner violence, rape or stalking at least once in their lifetime.
Ohio currently spends 85 cents per capita on domestic violence services, considerably less than most of the five surrounding states, which range from $1.31 per capita in Indiana to $3.06 per capita in Kentucky. Ohio’s domestic violence programs sheltered 9,707 survivors and children in 2023, but turned away nearly 8,200, which meant that nearly one in two survivors who sought shelter didn’t get it.
The new report demonstrates that Ohio earns a considerable return on its investment in domestic violence, which funded services for more than 127,000 survivors though ODVN’s 76 member programs in 2023.
Here in Athens, we see the human and economic cost of domestic violence every day. And this new report makes it clear: for Ohio, funding domestic violence services saves money and saves lives.
Kelly Madewell is Executive Director of My Sister’s Place, a domestic violence program in Athens.
