Safe Housing for Survivors of Domestic Violence - Strategies and ...
Safe Housing for Survivors of Domestic Violence Strategies and Approaches Presented by: Peg Hacskaylo District Alliance for Safe Housing
DASH Mission To ensure access to safe housing and services for survivors of domestic and sexual violence and their families as they rebuild their lives on their own terms.
DV and Homelessness • 92% of homeless mothers are reported to have experienced sexual or physical abuse • 50% or more of homeless women state that domestic violence precipitated homelessness • Homelessness dramatically increases women’s risk of being sexually assaulted and abused • Lack of available safe and affordable housing options negatively impacts women’s decisions to leave violent partners and frequently results in women falling into
homelessness after exiting abusive situations
Safe Housing • Takes a broad-based, flexible approach to housing options for survivors • Incorporates multiple options to address survivors’ unique needs • Works at the nexus of homelessness and domestic violence • Ensures the right to safe housing for everyone
DASH Aproach • Three-pronged strategy: - Creating More Safe Housing - Facilitating Access to Housing - Preventing Homelessness • Need to address the means to ensure safe housing on multiple levels and remains responsive to survivors’ changing needs.
Creating More Safe Housing • Rapid Re-housing model – Combination of site-based and scattered-site housing options for survivors • Housing First approach – provide apartment units, residents have leases, provide services in the home • Trauma-Informed – survivors have autonomy, determine their own goals
Facilitating Access to Housing • Remove barriers to accessing homeless shelter and housing programs through communitybased advocacy • Provide housing program information • Assist with the housing program application process • Address housing program rules that discriminate against victims of DV
Facilitating Access to Housing • Improve safety for victims in homeless shelters and housing programs through training and technical assistance – Provide training/TA for shelter/housing program staff – Educate programs about protections for victims under local and federal housing law – Ensure confidentiality in programs
Facilitating Access to Housing • Improve safety for victims in homeless shelters and housing programs through training and technical assistance – Provide training/TA for shelter/housing program staff – Educate programs about protections for victims under local and federal housing law – Ensure confidentiality in programs
Facilitating Access to Housing • Support obtaining affordable rental housing – Develop relationships with landlords – Accompany survivors to view units, provide support through the lease-up process, and assist women to assess community safety – Provide economic empowerment, budget counseling, and credit repair
Preventing Homelessness • Flexible Funding – Targeted, emergency financial assistance to help survivors to avoid homelessness – Assistance for housing costs, transportation, other financial needs – Subsidies fast, low-barrier, and flexible
Preventing Homelessness • Legal Protections for Victims – Violence Against Women Act – Fair Housing Act – DC Office of Human Rights • Emergency Transfers – Public Housing – Section 8 Housing and Housing Choice Voucher program – Breaking leases
Preventing Homelessness Violence Against Women Act (“VAWA”)
Under VAWA, someone who is a survivor of domestic violence and a tenant in federal public housing, Section 8 voucher- or project-based housing, or in a program that receives McKinney-Vento funds (includes Continuum of Care (except safe havens) is entitled to certain protections.
Preventing Homelessness Violence Against Women Act (“VAWA”)
Survivors have the right to: • be accepted into a shelter/housing program. For example, a housing provider cannot deny an applicant housing/assistance on the basis that s/he is or has been a survivor; • remove the batterer from the public housing lease (or Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher) and stay in the unit;
Preventing Homelessness Violence Against Women Act (“VAWA”)
Survivors have the right to: • ensure that DC Housing Authority and Section 8 landlords honor a civil protection order, specifically if it addresses the batterer’s access to where the survivor lives; • Port (move to another location) if s/he has a Section 8 voucher, so long as it’s within the DC Housing Authority jurisdiction; • seek an emergency transfer
Preventing Homelessness Violence Against Women Act (“VAWA”)
Survivors have the right to: • stay in the unit, even if there is (or has been) criminal activity that is directly related to the domestic violence; and • confidentiality of information about domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking. This information can only be shared if requested by the survivor in writing, is required for use in an eviction proceeding or by law.
Preventing Homelessness Other Federal Protections Include:
• Fair Housing Act • Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act • Americans with Disabilities Act
Preventing Homelessness District of Columbia Law Survivors have the right to (in public and private housing): • Be released from a lease free of penalty within 14 days of giving notice • Not be evicted or threatened with eviction if s/he experiences domestic violence in her/his home or contacts the police or emergency services during or after a domestic violence incident
Preventing Homelessness District of Columbia Law Survivors have the right to: • Not be treated differently than other tenants or housing program participants • Have the locks changed • Reasonable accommodation in restoring or improving security and safety measures;
THANK YOU! Peg Hacskaylo, Executive Director [email protected] 202/462-3274 x110 District Alliance for Safe Housing, Inc. www.dashdc.org
DASH Mission To ensure access to safe housing and services for survivors of domestic and sexual violence and their families as they rebuild their lives on their own terms.
DV and Homelessness • 92% of homeless mothers are reported to have experienced sexual or physical abuse • 50% or more of homeless women state that domestic violence precipitated homelessness • Homelessness dramatically increases women’s risk of being sexually assaulted and abused • Lack of available safe and affordable housing options negatively impacts women’s decisions to leave violent partners and frequently results in women falling into
homelessness after exiting abusive situations
Safe Housing • Takes a broad-based, flexible approach to housing options for survivors • Incorporates multiple options to address survivors’ unique needs • Works at the nexus of homelessness and domestic violence • Ensures the right to safe housing for everyone
DASH Aproach • Three-pronged strategy: - Creating More Safe Housing - Facilitating Access to Housing - Preventing Homelessness • Need to address the means to ensure safe housing on multiple levels and remains responsive to survivors’ changing needs.
Creating More Safe Housing • Rapid Re-housing model – Combination of site-based and scattered-site housing options for survivors • Housing First approach – provide apartment units, residents have leases, provide services in the home • Trauma-Informed – survivors have autonomy, determine their own goals
Facilitating Access to Housing • Remove barriers to accessing homeless shelter and housing programs through communitybased advocacy • Provide housing program information • Assist with the housing program application process • Address housing program rules that discriminate against victims of DV
Facilitating Access to Housing • Improve safety for victims in homeless shelters and housing programs through training and technical assistance – Provide training/TA for shelter/housing program staff – Educate programs about protections for victims under local and federal housing law – Ensure confidentiality in programs
Facilitating Access to Housing • Improve safety for victims in homeless shelters and housing programs through training and technical assistance – Provide training/TA for shelter/housing program staff – Educate programs about protections for victims under local and federal housing law – Ensure confidentiality in programs
Facilitating Access to Housing • Support obtaining affordable rental housing – Develop relationships with landlords – Accompany survivors to view units, provide support through the lease-up process, and assist women to assess community safety – Provide economic empowerment, budget counseling, and credit repair
Preventing Homelessness • Flexible Funding – Targeted, emergency financial assistance to help survivors to avoid homelessness – Assistance for housing costs, transportation, other financial needs – Subsidies fast, low-barrier, and flexible
Preventing Homelessness • Legal Protections for Victims – Violence Against Women Act – Fair Housing Act – DC Office of Human Rights • Emergency Transfers – Public Housing – Section 8 Housing and Housing Choice Voucher program – Breaking leases
Preventing Homelessness Violence Against Women Act (“VAWA”)
Under VAWA, someone who is a survivor of domestic violence and a tenant in federal public housing, Section 8 voucher- or project-based housing, or in a program that receives McKinney-Vento funds (includes Continuum of Care (except safe havens) is entitled to certain protections.
Preventing Homelessness Violence Against Women Act (“VAWA”)
Survivors have the right to: • be accepted into a shelter/housing program. For example, a housing provider cannot deny an applicant housing/assistance on the basis that s/he is or has been a survivor; • remove the batterer from the public housing lease (or Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher) and stay in the unit;
Preventing Homelessness Violence Against Women Act (“VAWA”)
Survivors have the right to: • ensure that DC Housing Authority and Section 8 landlords honor a civil protection order, specifically if it addresses the batterer’s access to where the survivor lives; • Port (move to another location) if s/he has a Section 8 voucher, so long as it’s within the DC Housing Authority jurisdiction; • seek an emergency transfer
Preventing Homelessness Violence Against Women Act (“VAWA”)
Survivors have the right to: • stay in the unit, even if there is (or has been) criminal activity that is directly related to the domestic violence; and • confidentiality of information about domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking. This information can only be shared if requested by the survivor in writing, is required for use in an eviction proceeding or by law.
Preventing Homelessness Other Federal Protections Include:
• Fair Housing Act • Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act • Americans with Disabilities Act
Preventing Homelessness District of Columbia Law Survivors have the right to (in public and private housing): • Be released from a lease free of penalty within 14 days of giving notice • Not be evicted or threatened with eviction if s/he experiences domestic violence in her/his home or contacts the police or emergency services during or after a domestic violence incident
Preventing Homelessness District of Columbia Law Survivors have the right to: • Not be treated differently than other tenants or housing program participants • Have the locks changed • Reasonable accommodation in restoring or improving security and safety measures;
THANK YOU! Peg Hacskaylo, Executive Director [email protected] 202/462-3274 x110 District Alliance for Safe Housing, Inc. www.dashdc.org
