Housing Solutions for Survivors (HSS)

Affordable housing and homelessness

Expand existing project, program, or initiative (expanding and continuing ongoing, successful work)

In 2023, 43% of homeless Angelenos were fleeing domestic violence or had survived domestic/intimate partner violence (Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority/LAHSA). More than 5,700 homeless Angelenos were trying to escape abuse. Also, 24,000+ of those who were homeless reported having had domestic/intimate partner violence experience previously, which demonstrates the long-term effect of these crimes on survivors’ housing stability. Moreover, the threat of homelessness deters many victims from leaving. Without money and jobs, victims may make up to 30 attempts to leave before doing so (2021 Yahoo! Finance article citing Women's Community Shelters’ CEO). In a 2018 study of the complex challenges victims encounter when trying to leave domestic violence, 76% of respondents cited “structural barriers” to leaving (e.g., finances, housing, and children’s safety) as a key factor in their decision-making (Heather Storer et al. “Leaving Was a Process, Not an Event”).

The Center’s Housing Solutions for Survivors (HSS) project tackles housing needs for domestic violence survivors through legal assistance, case management, financial assistance, and collaborative efforts. The Center provides free legal representation in matters such as unlawful eviction, early lease termination without penalty, housing discrimination, habitability, and consumer debt issues that negatively impact survivors’ ability to obtain housing. Concurrently, the Center’s case managers work with survivors to find and secure emergency and/or transitional housing and connect with other community resources that support homelessness prevention. Case managers help survivors apply for benefits such as housing vouchers, CalVCB, SNAP, Medi-Cal, and SSI to help them meet essential needs. Case managers and attorneys also provide critical emotional support to help survivors through the difficult process of leaving abuse and establishing safety and security. The HSS Flex Fund allows us to provide survivors with funds for short-term emergency hotel stays while they await shelter availability and funds to change locks, install cameras, or take other security measures. The Center also collaborates with a number of victim service providers, city and county offices/workgroups, and coalitions to strengthen safety net services for survivors and to leverage collective influence.

Los Angeles’ housing crisis disproportionately impacts intimate partner violence survivors. Those who are low-income and/or are immigrants face even more obstacles to obtaining and maintaining stable housing when escaping domestic violence. All of the Center’s clients are living in poverty and most are Latine (89%). Our culturally- and linguistically-responsive approach helps overcome challenges related to language abilities, unawareness of legal rights, and fear of interacting with law enforcement or even social services organizations that make matters worse for the 58% of survivors who have limited English proficiency and the 58% of undocumented immigrant survivors we serve. The success of HSS will reduce the number of Angelenos who are homeless or housing insecure because they are fleeing domestic violence in the short-term or because they have had inadequate support to establish long-term housing stability as part of their recovery process.

The Center piloted HSS over the past two years, but with funding that limited geographic scope and/or services offered. Funding from LA2050’s Challenge Grant will help us establish a county-wide homelessness prevention effort that will address homelessness for many more Angelenos. As an example of successes achieved, during the past fiscal year the Center had 56 positive legal outcomes for housing matters for 30 survivors that impacted 56 minor children (e.g., securing affordable housing benefits and enforcing rights to safe and habitable housing). Case managers helped 60 survivors with housing/benefits referrals and helped all HSS clients with referrals/access to social services to prevent homelessness. We ensured that no HSS clients have unlawful detainers on their records that would preclude them from securing housing. Among surveyed clients 93% said they were more hopeful, 90% were less fearful, 94% were more confident, and 92% had better parent-child relationships.