Housing and Economic Justice Program

Our Housing & Economic Justice Program provides training and technical assistance to direct-service providers throughout the state on sheltering, housing and homelessness issues as they relate to domestic violence.

Please note our programming does not provide emergency shelter or other housing assistance directly to survivors (such as: homelessness prevention, rapid re-housing, and housing stability support). However, local programs may further assist with accessing these resources. Click here to find direct services near you.

DV & Housing: Intersections & Impact

Domestic violence and homelessness are inextricably linked, and have long term impacts on survivors. Here's how:

DV is a primary cause of homelessness for women and children
92% of women who are homeless report having experienced severe physical and/or sexual assault at some point in their lives
As a result of their partner’s abuse, DV survivors may have poor credit, evictions on their record, and lack landlord references (or have negative ones)

Barriers to Housing for DV Survivors

The following affect the long term safety and stability of survivors in Colorado:

DV survivors are routinely met with discrimination when finding new housing
A lack of affordable housing and housing assistance further limits their options
Currently, there simply aren’t enough resources: The 2018 NNEDV Domestic Violence Census reported that 72% of the UNMET requests for survivor services in one day in Colorado were for housing.

Our Housing & Economic Justice Team

Housing Program Manager Lindsay Christopher and Housing Program Specialist Chance LeBeau make up our Housing & Economic Justice Team. They provide trainings, information, and technical assistance on a variety of topics related to sheltering and housing survivors of domestic violence.

This includes, but is not limited to: best practices in emergency shelter and transitional housing, innovative housing alternatives like the Domestic Violence Housing First Model, and housing protections for survivors of domestic violence.

During 2020 our team has continued to build their capacity to provide technical assistance and resources to programs looking to expand and/or deepen their economic justice work with survivors through the Allstate Foundation grant. Stay tuned for more information and updates about this.

Our Housing Team training in action

Economic Justice Pocket Guide

A guide for advocates to learn more about how they can support survivors’ financial stability and empowerment.

The results are in...

Learn about the findings from our 2017-2018 Colorado Housing for Crime Victims Special Project.

Resources for Advocates

Websites

Safe Housing Partnerships

Washington Coalition Against Domestic Violence: Domestic Violence Housing First

National Low Income Housing Coalition

National Housing Law Project

National Alliance to End Homelessness

National Network to End Domestic Violence: Transitional Housing Toolkit

Articles & Toolkits

Housing Toolkit for Advocates in Colorado

Addressing Housing Barriers: A Toolkit for Survivors in Colorado

Domestic Violence Housing First Toolkit

Safety Planning for Survivors of Domestic and Sexual Violence: A Toolkit for Housing/Homeless Programs

For Landlords

For PHA Landlords

Long-term Housing Approaches for Survivors

Advocates Guide 2017: A Primer on Federal Affordable Housing & Community Development Programs

Domestic Violence and Housing Stability

Pathway to Permanent Housing

Making the Road to Housing Accessible to All: Disability Law Colorado

There’s No Place like Home: State Laws the Protect Housing Rights for Survivors of Domestic & Sexual Violence

The Gap: A Shortage of Affordable Housing 2017

Creating Safe Housing Options for Survivors

Adapting the Housing First Model for Domestic Violence Survivors

Community Solutions Landlord Toolkit

CSAJ’s Guidebook on Consumer & Economic Civil Legal Advocacy for Survivors. (Housing protections and information starts on page 99)

Local Resources

Colorado Housing for Crime Victims Special Project

Colorado Aid and Assistance Programs

Colorado Civil Rights Division: Housing Discrimination

Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition

Colorado Housing Financial Assistance Guide

Disability Law Colorado

Fair Housing Resources

Rocky Mountain Victim Law Center

Newsletter Archive

Violence Free Colorado offers a once-a-month newsletter dedicated to housing and economic justice.

If there are certain topics you would like to see covered or if you would like to share anything in the newsletter, please contact Lindsay Christopher at lchristopher@nullviolencefreeco.org or 303-962-3321.