Breaking the Cycle: Bridging the Gap Between Intimate Partner Violence and Substance Use Treatment for Women

Abstract

Approximately 75% of women experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV) develop substance use dependence and about half of the women residing in IPV shelters report using alcohol (Cohen et al., 2013; Hovey et al., 2020; Mehr et al., 2023). Although research demonstrates a strong relationship between IPV and substance use, structural and systemic barriers continue to limit the ability of treatment organizations to provide comprehensive care to women in need of services. Through semi-structured interviews with executive directors from five IPV organizations and one substance use agency, this study examines how Ottawa-based IPV, and substance use organizations navigate the funding structures and policies that shape their capacity to respond to this population. Findings suggest that while ministries establish broad policy guidelines, organizations develop their own internal policies to try and better respond to the specific and evolving needs of their clients. However, limited and unstable funding is a primary barrier to delivering comprehensive care to meet clients' intersecting needs. Policy reform leading to increased and stable funding would enhance inter-organizational collaboration, providing agencies with the resources to hire qualified staff and strengthen agencies' capacity to support some of the most vulnerable women in our communities.