The Willow Domestic Violence Center is setting out to purchase safe dwelling house in Monroe County for women fleeing domestic violence.
But it's hit a snag: a housing market that is simply too expensive and competitive.
"I think it's more of a supply and demand thing," Nicole Morelle, chief impact officer at Willow, said. "There's very little supply, a very high demand, and if we had more housing, it would be more affordable, and we would be able to meet the needs of everyone that called our hotline instantaneously."
The lack of safe dwellings or other suitable housing for people fleeing domestic violence has resulted in a constant waitlist of well over 100. In late October, there were 104 women on the waitlist.
Willow operates a 49-bed shelter in Monroe County, with the rest of the shelters or safe dwellings for women fleeing domestic violence scattered around the nine-county region. In total, there are 94 beds available for women fleeing domestic violence in the region.
When there are no other options, clients are often put up in hotels. That is costly and not ideal for creating a safe environment for recovery, said Willow officials. The only option beyond those resources are homeless shelters.
"The need for beds is so significant that as we're grappling with this, we're hearing from survivors, we're hearing from partners, we're hearing from the community," said Meaghan de Chateauvieux, president of Willow. "We know this for ourselves, there are not enough beds."
Toi Walker-Smith, director of supportive housing for Willow, said high rental and home purchasing prices are almost entirely to blame for Willow's dilemma.
Safe dwellings differ from shelters. They are a type of housing for people fleeing domestic violence that is typically in a house or apartment building in a confidential location. They're licensed by the state Office of Children and Family Services and can range in capacity, with a single staffer required for nine or less residents. Willow is seeking a modest nine-bed facility, de Chateauvieux said.
The state also sets regulations on safety, furnishing, and other amenities the properties need.
There are no licensed safe dwellings in Monroe County, and while Willow will transport women to facilities across the region, those are also few and far between.
According to data provided by the Office of Children and Family services, there are 108 safe dwelling facilities in New York. Five of them exist in the nine-county region surrounding Rochester.
Willow prioritizes placements for people in the most dire of circumstances. It performs lethality assessments, known as Danger Assessments for Law Enforcement, for its clients to help determine which are at most imminent risk of harm.
But de Chateauvieux said demand far outpaces available resources. She pointed to figures released last month in Willow's annual report which said that over 4,500 domestic violence-related criminal complaints were made in Monroe County last year.
"There's a service desert, and the vast majority of beds are right here in Monroe County, and we know it's not enough," de Chateauvieux said.
While the organization continues to look for a possible safe dwelling location, the Rochester area's housing market continues to be a hurdle.
According to data from Realtor.com, the median house sale price in Monroe County crossed $300,000 for the first time in July of this year. That's an increase of 107% in 10 years.
Morelle offered one solution to Willow's predicament.
"It's my job to say if there ever is a situation where somebody wants to, you know, give us an entire apartment building, we'd be happy to take it," she said.
