Survivors of domestic violence face mounting precarity as the COVID-19 and eviction crises collide and create fractures in community and household stability. Disasters and emergencies increase frequency and severity of abuse, and the pandemic is no exception. Economic instability, unsafe housing, and lack of social support can dramatically worsen survivors’ situations.

Allocating additional funding dedicated to housing for women experiencing domestic violence and supporting evidence-based housing support models could help prevent homelessness and avoid perpetuating instability, discrimination, and cycles of poverty.

As stay-at-home orders were implemented across the US last year, calls to domestic abuse hotlines swelled as much as 26 percent above the 2019 average in some cities. Alarmingly, hotline calls remain elevated above normal levels in many cities, and evidence suggests domestic violence cases during the pandemic have been underreported.

Lack of safe housing is one of the primary barriers survivors face when leaving abusive partners and COVID-19 heightens this barrier. Now, survivors often face the difficult decision of staying in their home with an abusive partner or leaving and facing a tumultuous housing and economic landscape.

Housing stability is key to prevent the revictimization of survivors and their children. Federal and local policymakers can consider these evidence-based, near- and longer-term strategies to improve outcomes for survivors.

  • Support Housing First and rapid re-housing strategies.
  • Provide additional rental assistance.
  • Reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act, which provides critical housing protections to survivors and funding to programs serving survivors.
  • Allocate and expand emergency funds to items that can improve survivors’ stability.

Read the full article about housing stability for domestic survivors by Abigail Williams and Peace Gwam at Urban Institute.