With shelter-in-place orders and people out of work, domestic violence calls have increased dramatically on the Navajo Nation.
A group of domestic violence shelters reported to the Navajo Council a sharp rise in crisis calls. But none of the shelters has received funding from the Navajo Nation Division of Social Services, which administers federal grants. The shelters have been deemed essential and continue to offer services, despite the lack of funds.
Shelter director Lorena Halwood told the council in her more than 20 years, funding has never arrived on time but now it’s especially critical.
“With this pandemic, we have loss of jobs, which is a major financial setback for families,” Halwood said. “I would call it intimate terrorism now, in the homes of victims.”
