From the Balcony to the Streets: A Tragedy of Contortionism and Consequences

Abstract

Domestic violence is a prevalent public health concern, affecting millions worldwide. The presence of domestic violence affecting women and couples experiencing homelessness both continue to be underreported areas of clinical work and commissioning within the sector. This paper explores the difficulties of trying to house and contain unhoused couples with reference to the psychoanalytic ideas of attachment and the claustro-agoraphobic dilemma. The paper argues that more wrap-around support, such as temporary alternative housing options, are required to manage instances of domestic abuse and instances of attachment anxiety. Flexible options are also required to account for the likelihood that a couple may return to the streets when perpetrators are evicted based upon the implementation of blanket policies. The paper also attempts to offer some nuance into the complexities of relational dynamics, which are amplified by two unhoused minds coming into intimate contact with one another in front of a professional audience. The paper concludes with drawing attention to the lack of therapeutic support and lack of appetite to commission this to enable couples to explore the roles each partner can play when enmeshed in destructive forms of relating.