City officials and advocates celebrate the launch of “Project Home,” a pilot program to help survivors of domestic violence move out of city shelters and into safe, permanent housing. Image Credit: Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office.
On April 15, 2024, Mayor Eric Adams and Department of Social Services Commissioner Molly Wasow Park announced the launch of a new pilot program, “Project Home,” that will provide intensive specialized housing search assistance for permanent homes for domestic violence survivors with children who are currently in city shelters.
Through the program, the City will partner with New Destiny Housing, a nonprofit that works to secure housing for domestic violence survivors, to initially work with 100 randomized families currently staying in city shelters due to domestic violence. Families will be connected to a specialized housing navigator who will find appropriate apartments for the family from trusted landlords, advocate on behalf of the family with landlords and brokers, and help with
to expedite moving the families into their new permanent homes. The pilot program will be funded by a $300,000 grant from the NYC Fund to End Youth & Family Homelessness.
The pilot will also include an aftercare coordinator to provide services to the family including financial coaching, applying for government benefits, linking families to counseling, and connecting the families with new schools, childcare, doctors, and other resources around their neighborhoods. The aftercare resources will be available for families for up to a year after they move. The aftercare services are supported by the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust.
In addition to the pilot program, Mayor Adams announced the expansion of eligibility for supportive and affordable housing units for domestic violence survivors. Previous bureaucratic rules had made domestic violence survivors ineligible for Department of Health and Mental Hygiene supportive housing or Department of Housing Preservation and Development affordable housing. Domestic violence survivors were living in New York City Human Resources Administration (HRA) Domestic Violence shelters, not Department of Homeless Services (DHS) shelters which would qualify for that supportive housing. Under the new eligibility, clients in the HRA shelters would be able to apply directly for these supportive or affordable units. The Department of Social Services will expand eligibility for city-supportive housing which provides rental assistance and on-site supportive services for New Yorkers struggling with homelessness and serious behavioral health challenges.
Project Home and the additional eligibility changes are part of the administration’s “Women Forward NYC” action plan, a $43 million investment to address gender disparities including professional development, mentorship programs, access to mental and reproductive health care and supportive services, and reducing gender-based violence against women.
Mayor Adams stated, “Everyone deserves to be safe in their relationships and live a life free of domestic and gender-based violence. But for too many New Yorkers, home is no longer safe and, too often, domestic violence survivors end up in shelters as they are forced to leave their homes. Today, we are giving survivors hope with Project Home, a pilot program to provide housing assistance to domestic violence survivors living in shelter. We’re also announcing expanded eligibility for supportive and affordable housing for survivors, helping families move into permanent housing faster. This announcement builds on our work to deliver a safer city for all New Yorkers, especially domestic violence survivors, and is another commitment delivered from part of our ‘Women Forward NYC’ initiative — a more than $43 million investment that addresses the needs of women across the five boroughs.”
Saloni Sethi, Acting Commissioner of the Mayor’s Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence stated, “We cannot overemphasize how important safe, stable housing is for domestic violence survivors trying to move forward from experiences of abuse. We see daily how critical housing is to survivors’ ability to heal, and we are grateful to have a long-standing partnership with New Destiny, an organization that is unparalleled in its commitment to helping survivors access permanent housing. ENDGBV is excited that Project Home will build upon the success we had partnering with New Destiny to offer housing navigation services to survivors through the city’s Emergency Housing Voucher Program, and through stationing their rapid rehousing program, HousingLink, at our Family Justice Centers. We are thrilled to extend this much-needed resource to families within the homeless shelter system who have experienced domestic violence. We look forward to supporting DSS and New Destiny in furthering this work on behalf of survivors.”
By: Veronica Rose (Veronica is the Editor of CityLand and a New York Law School graduate, Class of 2018.)