Bad economy affecting domestic violence

In Painesville and Mentor, both are reporting increases to domestic violence cases. At the Domestic Violence Center in Cleveland, the shelter has been full for some time.

Tim Boehnlein says he is seeing the affect on his clients.

"I am surprised at the economy and the turn that it has taken and it absolutely impacts the families that we serve," he says.

Helping to place them in jobs has become more difficult and the foreclosure problem has made it a struggle to find victims new homes. With unemployment so low, the jobs are just not there.

"If an abuser is at home all of the time, than he is monitoring the victim," Boehnlein says. "He is knowing where she is going and what she is doing all the time and she never gets a rest from the surveillance and the manipulation."

But Boehnlein is not giving up hope and says no one will ever be turned away at the shelter.

"The problem is that we may have to rely on a shelter in Lake County for Geauga County or Medina County to help us out when we are full," he says.

For more information on the Domestic Violence Center, go to the shelter's website or call (216) 391-HELP.