Intimate Partner Violence and Homelessness: Young Women Lost in the Intersectionality

Rhianon Vichta and Ashleigh Husband, Brisbane Youth Service

While considerable attention has been paid to domestic violence (DV) as a primary cause of homelessness, there has been a historic lack of discourse and awareness across community service systems about the intersectionality of intimate partner violence and homelessness.

The commonly used term ‘domestic violence’ defines intimate partner violence by its occurrence within a ‘home’ context, rather than situating it within interpersonal relationships, whereas the term ‘Intimate Partner Violence’ (IPV) is arguably more inclusive of violent experiences that occur outside of the domestic space.