SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS — The number of people trying to escape domestic violence is on the rise.

I dug into the Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence’s last report to see how many Illinoisans were affected.

In the 2024 fiscal year, the coalition had to turn away nearly 5,000 adults and 3,800 children seeking emergency shelter.

This is a 22% increase from the prior year. In the 2024 fiscal year, nearly 8,000 Illinois children witnessed domestic violence.

The Coalition President, Carrie Boyd, said witnessing domestic violence can cause younger children to internalize the violence.

“It is demonstrated through behaviors or unhealthy relationships, or attachments,” Boyd said. “It can affect everything from their nutrition, their focus at school, and certainly their overall mental and physical health declines as a result of domestic violence.”

Boyd added times survivor spends at emergency shelters have increased from 45 days to more than 60 days.

Boyd said the coalition has 53 agencies statewide that issued more than 600,000 hours of services to those in need.