Transitional Housing for Survivors of Domestic and Sexual Violence: a 2014-15 Snapshot
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Transitional Housing for Survivors of Domestic and Sexual Violence: A 2014-15 Snapshot Chapter 10: Challenges and Approaches to Obtaining Housing and Financial Stability (Income / Education / Employment / Self-Determination) Fred Berman, Principal Author Submitted to: Sharon Elliott, Program Manager Office on Violence Against Women United States Department of Justice This project was supported by Grant No. 2012-TA-AX-K003 awarded by the Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women. DECEMBER 30, 2016 (URLs Updated Spring 2018) Chapter 10: Challenges and Approaches to Obtaining Housing and Financial Stability Table of Contents Chapter 10: Challenges and Approaches to Obtaining Housing and Financial Stability .......................................................... 2 Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................................................................. 4 Note about the Use of Gendered Pronouns and Other Sensitive Terms ............................................................................ 5 1. Executive Summary .................................................................................................................................................... 6 2. Introduction and Overview....................................................................................................................................... 11 (a) Overview .......................................................................................................................................................... 11 (b) The Compounding Problem of Housing Instability .......................................................................................... 14 3. Accessing Safe, Affordable Housing ......................................................................................................................... 15 (a) Overview of Challenges and Resources ........................................................................................................... 15 (b) VAWA Protections ........................................................................................................................................... 16 (c) Economy-Driven Changes in the Housing and Job Markets ............................................................................ 19 (i) With Uncertain Income / Weak Credentials, Survivors May Pose More Risk than Landlords Accept ............. 19 (ii) Increasing Disparity Between Rents and Employment Income ................................................................... 20 (iii) Additional Barriers (Mostly) Related to the Increasingly Expensive and Competitive Housing Market ..... 22 (d) Provider Approaches to Helping (Prospective) Participants Access Housing .................................................. 23 (e) Helpful Resources ............................................................................................................................................ 26 (f) Provider Comments on Housing-Related Challenges ........................................................................................... 31 (g) Provider Comments on Approaches to Assisting Participants in Accessing Housing ...................................... 37 4. Addressing Income / Education / Training / Employment ....................................................................................... 55 (a) Conceptual Framework - Goodman et al. on the Intersection of Poverty and IPV ......................................... 55 (b) Overview: Survivors' Income and Employment-Related Needs and Challenges ............................................. 58 (i) The Importance of Income and Employment .................................................................................................. 58 (ii) Barriers to Employment (and to Participation in Education/Training) ........................................................ 59 (iii) Challenging Logistics - Childcare and Transportation .................................................................................. 61 (c) Strategies and Resources Supporting Access to Education / Training / Employment ..................................... 62 (i) Balancing the Need for Income with the Desire to Strengthen Employability ................................................ 62 (ii) Education and Training Options .................................................................................................................. 63 (iii) Scholarships for Higher Education and Vocational Training........................................................................ 65 (iv) Employment-Related Assistance ................................................................................................................. 66 (v) Assisting Survivors with Criminal Records ................................................................................................... 68 (vi) Supporting Survivors Returning to Work / Addressing Workplace Safety-Related Concerns ..................... 69 (vii) Safety Planning with the Survivor ............................................................................................................... 70 (viii) Workplace Safety-Related Resources for Employers and Victim Advocates .............................................. 71 (ix) Legal Resources to Address Employer/Workplace Discrimination against Victims of Violence ................. 72 (d) Provider Comments on Challenges Accessing Education / Training / Employment ........................................ 73 (e) Provider Comments on Helping Participants Access Education / Training / Employment .............................. 77 (f) Provider Comments about Childcare-Related Challenges ................................................................................... 89 (g) Provider Comments about Transportation-Related Challenges ...................................................................... 91 5. Supporting Survivors in Achieving Financial Stability, Self-Determination, and Agency .......................................... 95 (a) Financial Abuse and Resources to Address It .................................................................................................. 95 (i) Overview .......................................................................................................................................................... 95 (ii) Income Taxes and Financial Abuse .............................................................................................................. 97 (b) Accessing Mainstream Benefits and Related Assistance ................................................................................. 98 (i) Mainstream Benefits: Part 1 - Mostly about Cash Benefits / Health Coverage ............................................... 98 (ii) Mainstream Benefits: Part 2 - Other Sources of Assistance ...................................................................... 101 (c) Supporting Participants in Strengthening Financial Management and Other Life Skills ............................... 103 (i) Overview ........................................................................................................................................................ 103 (ii) The Allstate Curriculum and Related Resources ....................................................................................... 104 (iii) Providing Individualized Information and Assistance to Participants / IDAs and Micro Lending .............. 106 (iv) Other Life Skills .......................................................................................................................................... 107 (d) Provider Comments Describing Challenges Accessing Mainstream Benefits ................................................ 108 (e) Provider Comments Addressing Financial Management and Other Life Skills .............................................. 109 6. Appendix A: Project Description and Methodology ............................................................................................... 118 (a) Project Description: Summary ....................................................................................................................... 118 (b) Project Description: Overall Approach .......................................................................................................... 121 (c) Project Methodology: Collection and Analysis of Data from Provider Interviews ........................................ 122 (i) Development and Implementation of the Interview Protocol ...................................................................... 122 (ii) Processing of Interview Data ..................................................................................................................... 124 7. References .............................................................................................................................................................. 125 American Institutes for Research / National Center on Family Homelessness Transitional Housing for Survivors of Domestic and Sexual Violence: A 2014-15 Snapshot Chapter 10: Challenges and Approaches to Obtaining Housing and Financial Stability - Page 4 Acknowledgements This project would not have been possible