Our combined membership meeting with the Coalition Ending Gender-Based Violence (CEGV) covered the intersection of homelessness and gender-based violence to better equip service providers, advocates, and community members to serve people with complex needs.
Meeting attendees included a broad representation of homeless service providers and gender-based violence advocacy programs and organizations, which provided valuable opportunities for connection and allowed us to collaboratively explore resources offered by the program attendees represented. The broad representation of providers and organizations also aided in a robust discussion and exploration for future collaborations.
The Lay of the Land
CEGV’s Housing Systems Manager Hannah Whitworth grounded our discussion by sharing the first minute and thirty seconds of the following video:
The two issues of gender-based violence and homelessness can perpetuate each other, causing cycles where a survivor feels they have no other option but to stay in an unsafe living situation to maintain housing, or they become unhoused due to their experiences of gender-based violence.
Additionally, people experiencing homelessness are more at risk of experiencing sexual violence before, during, and after periods of homelessness.
- More than 80% of women with children experiencing homelessness have also experienced domestic violence
- As many as 57% of all homeless women report that domestic violence was the immediate cause of their homelessness.
- 38% of all victims of domestic violence become homeless at some point in their lives
- 54% of transgender and non-binary individuals have experienced Domestic Violence or Intimate Partner Violence in their lifetime (2022 U.S. Trans Survey)
- 23% of transgender young adults between the ages of 18 and 25 reported ever experiencing homelessness, compared to 12.5% of the overall population of 18-25 year-olds (LGBTQ+ Youth Homelessness & Housing Instability Statistics).
- In King County, unique callers fleeing domestic violence increased from 166 in Q2 of 2022 to 198 in Q2 of 2023, a 20% increase, per Mary’s Place FESA reporting.
Our community and systems must develop and maintain housing responses that fit the needs of survivors at any point in their lives, which can be wide ranging and diverse depending on where they are in their journey as a survivor and in navigating homelessness.
Hannah highlighted the existing network available to support survivors and the entry points into the DV Coordinated Housing Access Point (DVCHAP) including the DVHopeline for survivors and anyone working with survivors:
While supportive and necessary, these efforts are underfunded and insufficient to address the needs of all impacted in our region.
We learned of the complexity of disclosure and personal identification as a DV survivor, and how support in those circumstances result in homeless service providers working with survivors and supporting them in navigating next steps at the intersection of being a survivor and experiencing homelessness.
Hannah also shared information on the Gender-Based Violence Housing and Homelessness Collaborative and their current call for new collaborative members.
The Collaborative is co-hosted by the CEGV, the Seattle Mayor’s Office on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, the UW Harborview Abuse and Trauma Center, and the King County’s Veterans, Senior, and Human Services Levy.
The group focuses on breaking the silos between gender-based violence and homeless/housing work by building connections between programs—between case managers and advocates—improving communications with local funders, and sharing resource and knowledge between these networks.
Our Oct 30 combined membership meeting built upon the work of this Collaborative to expand upon these connections and to engage in larger-scale community advocacy and policy work that influences larger, more enduring changes on a systems level.
From housing advocate to gender-based violence advocate: What do we need each other to know?
In a small group activity, we posed the following questions:
- What do gender-based violence advocates want homeless service providers to know?
- What do homeless service providers want gender-based violence advocates to know?
Some amazing insights were shared from each group. Some highlights included:
- An ongoing need for events like this that help advocates meet each other, learn about resources, and make connections across programs and populations
- Calling 211 can be super stressful and scary for DV survivors
- Seattle Public Library’s Hotspot program can help people living at this intersection access online resources
- There are compounding limitations and a heightened risk for accessing help for survivors who are immigrants and refugees
- It is ethically difficult to encourage survivors to seek rapid rehousing right now with the threat of federal funding for these programs
- Requirements for DV verification through historically discriminatory systems and institutions are inaccessible to marginalized communities (e.g. requirement of being granted a Protection Order or having police reports filed)
What’s Next: Connection & Resistance
CEGV Co-Executive Director Amarinthia Torres brought our group conversations together to explore the intersection of our work from the context of providing service and the parallelled skills already being utilized.
Amarinthia provided context for understanding the same power and control dynamics at play in individual and interpersonal relationships and how those dynamics impact us on the collective, societal level.
Amarinthia discussed impacts and antidotes to abuses of power on all levels:
The presentation defined “self-determination” as the antidote to abuse rather than safety.
Self-determination is a necessary pre-condition to creating sustainable and authentic safety in one’s life. Or, in Amarinthia’s words: “Self-determination is the MEANS, Safety and empowerment are the ENDS.”
There is a parallel between the unique risks and safety concerns survivors face when resisting abuse and the unique risks and safety concerns we face as individuals and as a movement.
Advocates play a vital role in this moment. We have many skills and tools to assert our own agency. It will take all of us, working together, in ever-widening coalitions. Our unique lens on this work helps us build power together.
Seattle & King County Budget advocacy
Seattle and King County councilmembers are writing their budgets now, and it’s imperative for us to use our personal and professional experiences to speak up for our priorities during this process.
Both of our Coalitions have intertwining priorities for this year.
The Coalition on Homelessness is focused on educating councilmembers on how our communities will be impacted by a loss of federal funding for rapid rehousing and supportive housing. We are asking councilmembers to prepare funds for this anticipated loss of federal funding to fill the gap and sustain current housing and homelessness services before committing to new spending.
Take action today! Send an email to your Seattle and/or King County councilmembers asking them to prepare for the loss of federal funding in their budget writing: bit.ly/protect-homes.
The CEGV is focused on the following two budget priorities for the Seattle budget:
- $1M in ongoing funds for gender-based violence programs | YES on HSD-062-A
- $1.2M in one-time funds for survivors of commercial sexual exploitation | YES on HSD-064-A
Opportunities for Public Comment
Seattle: Thursday, November 6, Budget Public Hearing
- Remote at 1 p.m., sign up starts at 12 p.m. here: bit.ly/SeaPubComm
- In-Person at Seattle City Hall (600 4th Ave) at 5 p.m. Get in line as early as possible and meet the Coalition on Homelessness and the Seattle Human Services Coalition in the lobby at 4 p.m. to grab a red scarf, get help registering, and support on your public comment
The Seattle Budget Committee will vote on the next budget on Friday, November 14 at 9:30 a.m.
King County: Wednesday, November 12
- Remote at 9:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., join the Zoom meeting for each time respectively and raise your hand to give comment. Zoom meeting ID: 867 1228 9077 or call 1 253 215 8782 and use the same meeting ID
- In person at King County Council Chambers (516 3rd Avenue, Seattle, 98104 – Floor 10)
Please consider joining us for public comment. As one of our meeting attendees shared, it may seem daunting to speak in front of others, but we so firmly believe what we are advocating for, and it’s so important for us to share our first-hand perspective, that the fear quickly dissipates in the moment.
Plus, Hali from the Coalition on Homelessness is ready and available to help you draft your public comment so that you can feel confident going in, know what to expect, and prepare something for the two minutes you’re allotted. Please email hali[at]homelessinfo[.]org to get started.
What is something you learned, and what is something you’re still curious about?
We asked attendees to provide feedback before leaving and we were thrilled with the amount of positive and critical feedback. Your time is valuable, and we are dedicated to making sure the convenings we host are built around the needs of our membership.
If you have additional feedback to share with us, please email us at contact[at]homelessinfo[.]org.
Save the Dates and continue advocating with us
We touched on the importance of using our experience to advocate for investments in housing, shelter, and supportive services. Advocacy just means speaking up! We have an upcoming opportunity for state-level advocacy at Housing and Homelessness Advocacy Day (HHAD) in Olympia.
This year, HHAD will be Monday, January 26 and it’s an all-day event! The Coalition on Homelessness charters the Advocacy Express bus to Olympia to support people in speaking directly to their lawmakers.
Please save the date to join us and please register for our Legislative Preview meeting on Thursday, December 11 to hear our priorities for this session, learn more about riding the Advocacy Express, and listen to state lawmakers who are housing justice champions:
Register here: Thursday, December 11, 9-11 a.m., Zoom
There is also a Domestic Violence Advocacy Day in Olympia with a date yet to be announced for this year. Sign up for CEGV emails to learn more: https://endgv.org/
