Leading the Way in Housing for Survivors

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a disproportionate impact on domestic violence survivors and their children. From poverty to job loss and food insecurity to housing instability, many challenges with which survivors struggle have been greatly exacerbated by the crisis. Today, as the lockdown eases and many of us are enjoying renewed freedoms (at least for now), domestic violence survivors continue to face housing and employment challenges. Crisis situations always have a greater impact on survivors of violence.

Even in non-COVID times, survivors tell us that to be free from abuse, they need two things: housing they can afford and jobs that pay a living wage. And we know that over one third (38%) of survivors report becoming homeless immediately after separating from their abusive partners (Baker, C.K., Cook, S.L. et al. 2003. Violence Against Women, 9). In response to survivors’ experiences and that staggering statistic, Casa Myrna has been prioritizing and expanding our housing and economic stability resources significantly over the past five years. Thanks to our donors, government funding, and other partners, we have been able to increase our housing stability work exponentially during the pandemic. During the height of the pandemic (fiscal year 2021, July 1, 2020 – June 30, 2021):

Our housing team supported 278 survivors, an increase of 46% over FY20 and 119% over FY19. Of the survivors we supported to move into housing in the prior year, 100% remain housed today.
Our economic stability team supported 118 survivors. Of those survivors: 84% achieved financial literacy; 40% gained job readiness skills; and 25% obtained new employment.
We were privileged to be able to provide $781,000 in rental assistance to families; $252,000 in “housing stabilization” (e.g., first/last/security, rental arrearages, and utility arrearages); and $1,709,000 in emergency gift cards, food, hotel stays, and other assistance.
Because of the recent increase in affordable housing resources available to survivors, we have seen the length of stay of families in shelter decline precipitously to 8.4 months from a high of 16 months in 2020.

Despite all this, we continue to learn vital lessons about the need to develop additional housing resources for survivors, the importance of housing expertise within domestic and sexual violence organizations, and the benefit of a unified response in our efforts to help families obtain safe and secure housing. These lessons lead us to reach outside our own organization and to strengthen partnerships with our sister sexual and domestic violence organizations and to advocate for broader policy change.

Our policy work and many of these partnerships are described below. If you would like to learn more or get involved, please contact Marc Davino, Director of Development and Communications, mdavino@casamyrna.org.

Partnerships

The Boston Regional Domestic Violence Partnership

In early 2020, thirteen Boston area domestic violence organizations partnered to test a new approach to survivors’ escalating need for shelter. Together, we housed survivors in temporary apartments and extended stay hotel units and shared our resources and expertise during the pandemic. Our collaboration strengthened the domestic violence housing and shelter system while emphasizing prevention and mitigating the long-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on vulnerable households. Myrna led the partnership and secured $2.7 million in funding from government and private sources to support temporary and permanent housing for survivors, as well as emergency supports.

Though its origins were COVID-specific, our collaboration continues to grow and improve shelter and housing opportunities for survivors throughout the region. In recent months, the partnership expanded beyond Boston to include sister domestic violence organizations throughout the region, and now includes state and local collaborations targeted to improving housing opportunities for survivors.

MA Safe Housing Initiative

A partnership with the MA Department of Public Health (DPH), Jane Doe Inc, Piltch Associates, and Casa Myrna, the MA Safe Housing Initiative is working to engage key stakeholders and identify collective interventions and policy change opportunities related to housing for survivors statewide.

Governor’s Council to Address Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence (GCASADV)

Casa Myrna’s CEO sits on the GCASADV and co-chairs its Housing Stability Committee. The Committee is charged with recommending solutions to and convening stakeholders to ensure survivors avoid and/or overcome homelessness and obtain and maintain permanent, safe housing.

Statewide Policy Change and Systemic Impact

Through these partnerships and policy advocacy work, we have seen a significant positive impact on survivors’ ability to obtain and maintain safe housing – and expect it to continue. More specifically, through the work of the MA Safe Housing Initiative and GCASADV Housing Stability Committee, Casa Myrna has used its housing policy knowledge and housing experience to:

In partnership with the MA Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), lead the allocation of 64 vouchers through the MA Rental Voucher Program (MRVP) to survivors with the longest stays in domestic violence shelters. Piltch Associates, our consultant for the MA Safe Housing Initiative, provided technical assistance to shelters, including trouble shooting, identifying housing units, and seeding relationships between housing providers and domestic violence organizations.
Facilitate the City-wide referral process for domestic survivors eligible for Section 8 housing resources for households with children in Boston Public Schools. Casa Myrna will repeat this work with Boston City housing vouchers and new federal Emergency Housing Vouchers.
Organize and lead the provision of technical assistance to sexual and domestic violence organizations across the state to apply for $9M in new U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funds for housing for survivors. Once applications are complete later this Fall, Casa Myrna and our partners will facilitate program design workshops for sister organizations and a statewide training for housing advocates.
Provide a five-part housing workshop series for nearly 80 survivors and housing advocates of sister domestic violence organizations across the state. We will replicate this workshop series this Fall in Spanish and Portuguese and regularly thereafter.

So what does all this mean for survivors? It means that fewer survivors have to choose between leaving an abusive relationship and becoming homeless. It means that should they become homeless, survivors can access supports to move into housing quickly. It means that if a survivor needs emergency financial support, they can access it. And it means that our community is working together to support survivors in increasingly responsive and effective ways. Thank you for being part of the solution!