The Department of Justice, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) have launched a federal Domestic Violence and Housing Technical Assistance Consortium to better address the critical housing needs of victims of domestic violence and their children. The three federal agencies are awarding a total of $2.3 million in grant funding to four organizations who will form this national consortium in order to foster increased collaboration among domestic violence and homeless service providers and provide national training, technical assistance and resource development on domestic violence and housing.

“Escaping domestic violence should not increase a person’s chances of becoming homeless,” said HUD Secretary Julián Castro. “Unfortunately that is too often the case for survivors and their children, which is why I’m proud to join this interagency effort to develop more comprehensive efforts to protect and serve survivors of domestic violence.”
Grant funds are being provided to the following organizations:

• District Alliance for Safe Housing (Washington, D.C.)

• National Network to End Domestic Violence (Washington, D.C.

• National Resource Center for Domestic Violence (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania):

• Collaborative Solutions, Inc. (Birmingham, Alabama)

RCGV members Cris Sullivan and Cortney Vandegrift are working with the consortium to identify and generate evidence to support the project’s goals. The Domestic Violence and Housing Technical Assistance Consortium and will work with domestic violence providers and homeless service providers nationwide to improve policies, identify promising practices and strengthen collaborations necessary to improve housing options for survivors of domestic violence and their children in order to enhance safety, stability, and well-being. The Department of Justice’s Office for Victims of Crime and Office on Violence Against Women; HUD’s Office of Special Needs Assistance Programs and HHS’s Administration for Children and Families, Family and Youth Services Bureau, Division of Family Violence Prevention and Services have worked together to increase capacity, resources and guidance to adequately address the housing needs of domestic violence survivors and their children, as leading members of the Domestic Violence Committee of the USICH.