“It Actually Isn’t Just about Housing”: Supporting Survivor Success in a Domestic Violence Housing First Program

Thomas, Kristie A.; Ward-Lasher, Allison; Kappas, Andrea; Messing, Jill T.

doi:10.1080/01488376.2020.1745349

Cited by 9 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…El modelo Vivienda Primero para Sobrevivientes de Violencia Doméstica (DVHF, por sus siglas en inglés) es un modelo de intervención que ha ganado atención recientemente por su potencial para ayudar a las sobrevivientes de violencia de pareja a obtener una vivienda segura y estable (Sullivan & Olsen, 2016;Thomas et al, 2020). El modelo DVHF involucra proporcionar a las sobrevivientes financiamiento flexible, así como profesionales de apoyo con base comunitaria, que toman en cuenta las consecuencias del trauma y capacitadas en consideraciones culturales (Sullivan & Olsen, 2016).…”

Section: Discussionunclassified

Recognizing the Multitude of Housing Barriers Facing Homeless and Unstably Housed Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence

López‐Zerón

Bilbao-Nieva

Sullivan

et al. 2021

RIP/IJP

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Survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV) seek services from domestic violence (DV) programs for a multitude of reasons. One critical need for many survivors, that has often been overlooked when considering the services DV programs provide, is stable housing. DV programs typically offer safety planning, counseling, advocacy, support groups, and some form of temporary safe housing (e.g., shelter, transitional housing), but increasingly, survivors need assistance securing safe and stable long-term housing. It is imperative, then, that program staff have the information, resources, and skills needed to effectively assist survivors with this essential need. This study examined the housing barriers facing 406 homeless or unstably housed intimate partner violence survivors seeking help from one of five domestic violence programs. In-depth interviews conducted shortly after they sought services revealed that many survivors had a prior history of homelessness, and the vast majority reported at least five issues they faced that made obtaining safe and affordable housing difficult. Findings emphasize the importance of advocates specifically asking about potential housing barriers, and having the knowledge, skills, and community connections needed to effectively assist homeless and unstably housed survivors.

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Section: Discussionunclassified

Recognizing the Multitude of Housing Barriers Facing Homeless and Unstably Housed Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence

López‐Zerón

Bilbao-Nieva

Sullivan

et al. 2021

RIP/IJP

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“…As DV program services evolve to support promising new models such as DV Housing First and RRH, they are engaging with new community partners and stakeholders. Early evaluations suggest that systems-based advocacy and capacity building, including work with landlords and other social service agencies, was essential to DV housing first program success and survivor stability (Thomas, Ward-Lasher, Kappas, & Messing, 2021). Within this landscape, the DV Coordinator program offers important lessons about an innovative, cross-sector systems change model.…”

Section: Discussion/implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Improving Safe Housing Access for Domestic Violence Survivors Through Systems Change

Kulkarni

Marcus

Cortés

et al. 2021

Housing Policy Debate

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Domestic violence (DV) survivors often encounter serious barriers navigating between housing and homelessness (H/H), coordinated entry (CE), and DV service systems to access safe housing. This study examined an innovative program that deployed DV coordinators as systems change agents liaising between H/H services, DV programs, and CES to increase survivors' safe housing access. Five listening sessions were conducted using a semistructured interview guide to explore key stakeholders' perspectives about the potential impact of he DV coordinator program. Transcripts were thematically coded and then member checked. Primary themes included: (a) training, consultation, and brokering relationships to advance systems reforms; (b) adapting to community contexts; and (c) bringing survivors' voices to funders and policymakers. Cross-sector training was an important program outcome. However, meaningful systems changes were not likely to occur through training activities alone. Community partners benefited from responsive real-time consultation, as well as coaching and support to address survivors' needs in a trauma-informed manner. Relationship building and networking encouraged cross-sector collaborations and creative pragmatic solutions to complicated survivor needs. Findings underscored the complementary nature of direct service and systems advocacy and the importance of having service providers, like DV housing navigators working parallel with DV systems change advocates.

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“…All the DV agencies offered a range of services to survivors (e.g., support groups, counseling, safety planning, advocacy), and two services were specific to increasing safe and stable housing (housing‐focused advocacy and flexible funding). Given resource constraints of agencies, participants may or may not have received these services, but given the likelihood of these services positively impacting safety and housing stability (Sullivan & Olsen, 2016; Thomas et al, 2020), we controlled for them in analyses. Just under a third of participants received both housing‐focused advocacy and flexible funding (30.7%), while 16.9% received housing‐focused advocacy but no funding, and 10.7% received funding but no housing‐focused advocacy.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While the receipt of any service from the DV agencies appears to have been helpful, access specifically to housing-focused DV services (housing-focused advocacy and/or direct funding assistance) was uniquely influential in reducing all forms of abuse except stalking and was related to greater housing stability and lower mental health symptomatology. This provides further evidence for the effectiveness of the DV Housing First model, which involves the use of housing-focused advocacy and financial assistance to increase the safety and housing stability of DV survivors (Sullivan & Olsen, 2016;Thomas et al, 2020). More funding is needed to go to agencies so that they can provide individualized financial resources to survivors and so they have enough advocates to provide timeintensive housing advocacy (Sullivan et al, 2019).…”

Section: Policy and Practice Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 97%

The impact of COVID‐19 on the safety, housing stability, and mental health of unstably housed domestic violence survivors

Chiaramonte

Simmons

Hamdan³

et al. 2021

Journal Community Psychology

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Using data from an ongoing longitudinal study, we examined the impact of the COVID‐19 stay‐at‐home orders on a racially diverse population of unstably housed domestic violence (DV) survivors over time. Specifically, we examined survivors' safety, housing stability, and mental health before, during, and after the onset of COVID‐19, and how demographic, social, and familial factors attenuated or exacerbated the effect of the stay‐at‐home orders. Approximately 300 participants were initially interviewed after they sought services from a DV agency, and then again, every 6 months over 2 years. COVID‐19 stay‐at‐home orders occurred midway through the completion of this multi‐year study. Longitudinal mixed effects models were estimated to examine the impact of COVID‐19 on the safety, housing stability, and mental health of survivors over time. We also examined models with several time‐varying (e.g., employment, income, social support, and number of children) and time‐invariant (baseline outcome scores, racial/ethnic identity, education, and disability status) control variables. Results revealed that safety, housing stability and mental health were improving for study participants before the onset of the COVID‐19 pandemic but plateaued after the stay‐at‐home orders were issued. Experiences of abuse, housing instability, and mental health symptomatology did not worsen as a result of the COVID‐19 stay‐at‐home orders. Notably, social support and housing services emerged as important predictors of outcomes, such that participants who received housing‐related services and greater social support reported less abuse, less housing instability, and lower mental health distress. COVID‐19 temporarily disrupted the positive trajectory unstably housed DV survivors were experiencing in regard to safety, housing stability and mental health. These findings provide critical insight into the importance of service access during and after global catastrophes. Additional resources and support may be helpful in assisting survivors to return to their pre‐pandemic recovery and growth trajectories.

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“It Actually Isn’t Just about Housing”: Supporting Survivor Success in a Domestic Violence Housing First Program

Cited by 9 publications

References 30 publications

Recognizing the Multitude of Housing Barriers Facing Homeless and Unstably Housed Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence

Recognizing the Multitude of Housing Barriers Facing Homeless and Unstably Housed Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence

Improving Safe Housing Access for Domestic Violence Survivors Through Systems Change

The impact of COVID‐19 on the safety, housing stability, and mental health of unstably housed domestic violence survivors

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