October is a fitting time to consider the status of women as we mark both National Domestic Violence Awareness Month and World Poverty Day on Saturday. During this national and local recession, we here in Western New York see every day the intersection of poverty and domestic violence.

Poverty does not cause domestic violence. An abuser determined to exercise power and control over his victim causes domestic violence. Certainly, though, the violence experienced by low-income women can make the climb out of poverty impossible.

Poverty, in turn, makes it more difficult to end domestic violence and heal from its effects.

Women in Western New York are heads of households in 70 percent of families living in poverty. National studies have found that more than 50 percent of women receiving public assistance report having been physically abused at some point in their adult lives. Therefore, the crucial link between the economic independence of women and the economy of our region is obvious.

Poverty reduces options for battered women. Most safety planning strategies require significant life changes, such as moving, separation or divorce. Some require extensive use of the legal system to obtain orders of protection, custody orders or child support. A victim of domestic violence must be able to financially support herself and her children after she leaves her abusive partner.

While life for all low-income women is difficult during this recession, it is particularly so for battered women. Before the recession, a study by the U. S. Department of Justice showed that women in low-income neighborhoods are “substantially more likely” to be repeatedly injured by male partners, and couples under “financial strain” have triple the domestic violence rate of others. In these challenging times of job losses and foreclosures, those statistics are even more concerning.

We also know that women closest to the challenges in their community are the ones with the best solutions, which is why funding women is so effective at decreasing problems. Investing in a woman brings security to her as well as her family and her community.

We are at a critical moment for change in our community. By fully realizing the potential of women, we can lift up our economy, provide more — and safer — options to families and move ourselves out of the position of being the third-poorest big city in the nation.

We call on our community and lawmakers to invest in programs and policies that take into account the effects of poverty and violence on women’s lives. From the debate on health care reform to green jobs to victims’ rights, we must consider how any legislation will affect women — and women’s contribution to our economy and society.

Linda Ray is executive director of the Family Justice Center. Brigid Doherty is executive director of the WNY Women’s Fund.