New York, New York — Advocates for survivors of domestic violence say they’ve been underfunded for decades when it comes to supportive housing, and now are calling on the State to continue its recent trend of investing more.
Domestic violence is one of the leading reasons for homelessness for families across New York State, and the Country, as the shelter system and housing availability have created barriers for survivors.
“Almost 100% of survivors have experienced some sort of economic abuse by their abuser, and that means that even if they are working, even if they have bank accounts, they don’t have access to it,” Nicole Branca, the CEO of New Destiny Housing says. “DV survivors are in a separate shelter system. They don’t have the same access to housing resources, whether that’s Section Eight or other rental subsidies or affordable housing that’s being developed. Just as an example, in our domestic violence shelters in New York City, there is a less than 10% chance that you will leave domestic violence shelters for permanent housing.”…