SHELTER IS A VERB: EMBRACING HOUSING FIRST PRINCIPLES IN OUR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE RESPONSE

Kris Billhardt

National Alliance for Safe Housing (NASH)

National Alliance for Safe Housing (NASH)

• A project of the District Alliance for Safe Housing (DASH), a local safe housing program in D.C.)

• A national Technical Assistance and Training provider (launched October 2015)

• Project Partners: Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence, DC Coalition Against Domestic Violence

• Part of the federal Domestic Violence and Housing Technical Assistance Consortium (DVHTAC)

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NASH provides programs and communities with the tools, strategies and support necessary to improve coordination between domestic and sexual violence services and homeless and housing providers, so that survivors and their children can ultimately avoid homelessness as the only means of living free from abuse.

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Exciting Change is Afoot!

• Changing HUD requirements reflect increased awareness of the intersection

• Broader inclusion of DSV programs in housing work in many communities

• Growing evidence base for promising models

• DV and Homeless systems in closer communication than ever before and learning effective practices from one another

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“Cross-Pollination”

Homeless/Housing Field• Harm reduction models

• Housing First

• Rapid Re-housing

DSV Field• Voluntary Services

• Trauma-informed approaches

• Safety considerations and privacy protections

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Housing First History

1992: New York City, NY• Sam Tsemberis: Pathways to Housing

• Developed as response to chronic homelessness among people with psychiatric issues and/or chemical dependency

• Harm reduction model; no sobriety pre-requisite or expectation of abstinence

1998: Los Angeles, CA• Tonya Tull: Beyond Shelter

• Developed as a response to rise in family homelessness

• Housed families directly from shelter/street as quickly as possible to establish safety for children

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Housing First Principles

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• Homelessness is a housing problem.• Housing is a right.• People who are homeless or

on the verge of homelessness shouldbe stabilized in permanent housing ASAP - then helped to sustain it.

• No pre-requisites; issues contributingto homelessness are best addressed once housing is established.

• Client’s ability to exercise choice promotes success.

Re-thinking Our Assumptions about Homelessness

People should be “housing-ready”

It’s too expensive!

If participation in services isn’t required, no one will do anything!

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DSV Movement Principles

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D/S Violence is an issue of power and control; survivors are not “defective.”

Everyone deserves a safe home.

People experiencing DSV should be helped to establish safety - then connected to the resources they need to maintain it.

Survivors are experts in their own lives and should be supported in making their own choices.

Re-thinking Our Assumptions About DV and Safety

Shelter is the starting point.

Survivors must leave to get safe.

Survivors need a slow transition to being safely housed on their own.

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What We Learned at Home Free

• People were “missing” from our shelter

• Residential budget disallowed help with even small expenses

• Housing First pilot w HUD funds worked (>90% housing retention)

• Advocates working out in the community grew in skill, knowledge & impact

• Longer-term contact & direct engagement w housing scene sorely needed

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Housing is Foundational for DSV Survivors

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Housing is key to safety for survivors;

it provides protection against

continued abuse and is linked

to a host of positive health

outcomes in survivors

and children.

DV Housing First (WSCADV)

• Housing is a right.

• No prerequisites; assessment done to identify and help mitigate potential barriers

• Tailored, voluntary services provided to retain housing

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DV Housing First Essentials

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Flexible financial assistance

Survivor-driven, trauma-informed advocacy

Community engagement

Survivor Housing Options

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Following establishment of Bridge Housing (shelter, transitional, friends/family, motel, etc.):

• Prevention (Diversion)—Survivor stays in/returns to the home

• Subsidized housing with services available

• Permanent supportive housing

• Rapid re-housing

Gut Check: Is RRH a fit for DSV Survivors?

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Participant-directed

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No pre-conditions

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Tailored services & support

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Financial assistance

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Values partner-ships

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Rapid Re-Housing Core Components

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Housing IdentificationRecruit landlords, address barriers, help secure a unit

Rent and Move-In (Financial) Assistance Support quick move out of homelessness and stabilize in permanent housing; typically six months or less

RRH Case Management and ServicesMake supports available to aid stabilization

Helpful Modifications When Re-housing Survivors

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• Survivor-led safety planning and housing location

• Education/advocacy with landlords

• Flexible period of rental subsidy• Provision for second placement if

safety becomes compromised• Partnerships!• Trauma-informed approach• Informed consent around data

storage and sharing

RRH Success Story : Multnomah County, OR• Home Free led the way by using

HUD dollars for RRH in 1998• RRH (rent assistance/tailored

support) now used by all 12 DSV providers in county

• RRH shaped to meet needs of population served and funding stream (subsidy period ranges from 6-24 months)

• One DV agency re-purposed their site-based TH facility for use as emergency shelter and shifted to a RRH model for TH

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Let’s Discuss This…

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1. In what ways are we already in sync with Housing First? Where are we not in sync?

2. What gateways to services/housing do survivors have in our community? Who might we be missing?

3. What would we need to put in place to better ensure survivor safety within a RRH model?

4. How could we offer services to survivors housed in the community to support their stabilization?

More to Think On…

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• What drives your model? (Survivor needs? Tradition? Funders?)

• Can survivors access help/housing without entering shelter?

• Can you shift your staffing pattern to allow flexibility for mobile advocacy?

• Do you have the partnerships you need?

• Flex funds: how can the dream be made real?

Domestic Violence and Housing Technical Assistance Consortium

www.safehousingpartnerships.org

SAFE HOUSING PARTNERSHIPSThe new website for the Domestic Violence and Housing Technical

Assistance Consortium

• Data, infographics, literature reviews, and reports that describe the intersections between

domestic violence, sexual assault, homelessness, and housing

• Strategies for building effective and sustainable partnerships across systems and case

studies of successful collaborations

• In-depth resource collections organized around four key approaches to addressing and

preventing housing instability among survivors

• Access to relevant federal laws, regulations, and policies

Have questions? Need TA? Want training?

Contact the Consortium directly through the site!

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NASH Training and Technical Assistance

System and Program Level Technical Assistance issues include these and more:

• Coordinated Entry

• Building collaborative relationships

• Trauma-informed practice

• Rapid Re-housing, Housing First, Flexible Funds

• Federal, state and local housing protections

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Contact NASH

NASH

NASHinfo@dashdc.org

Kris Billhardt

Technical Assistance Specialist

National Alliance for Safe Housing (NASH)

kbillhardt@dashdc.org

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