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Senate Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
Senate of Pennsylvania
Session of 2023 - 2024
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | February 6, 2023 10:47 AM |
|---|---|
| From: | Senator Vincent J. Hughes |
| To: | All Senate members |
| Subject: | Creating the "Survivor-centered, accessible, fair and empowering” (SAFE) Housing Trust Fund |
| In the near future, I will be reintroducing Senate Bill 1010 (2021-2022) that establishes the SAFE housing trust fund that will benefit victims and survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, human trafficking and stalking. The “Survivor-centered, accessible, fair and empowering” (SAFE) Housing Trust Fund will provide much needed funding to increase resources to domestic violence programs, transitional housing programs and permanent housing solutions to better respond to the needs of these victims and survivors. We must provide real support to the individuals leaving dangerous situations and ensure there are enough resources to meet shelter and housing needs. Every year the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV) releases its Annual Domestic Violence Counts Report to shed light on the unduplicated number of services requested in a single 24-hour period. In 2021, NNEDV reported that 38,608 people were provided housing services in just one day. In that same one-day period, 6,049 requests went unmet, leaving survivors without the support they needed. In Philadelphia the problem is particularly dire. In 2022, Women Against Abuse (WAA) documented 1,177 unmet requests for shelter because WAA’s 200 safe-haven beds were already full. Victims should not have to face the impossible choice of staying with their abusers or becoming homeless because they cannot find safe shelter or housing. The intersection of homelessness and intimate partner violence is well documented. Upwards of 50% of all homeless women report that domestic violence was the immediate cause of their homelessness. Multiple studies report that more than 80% of homeless mothers with children were survivors of intimate partner violence. Advocates continuously identify housing as a primary need and a critical component in the long-term safety and stability of these survivors. However, as the need for housing continues to rise, funding for many of these programs is dwindling. Survivors and victims of abuse already face many economic, employment, transportation, and child-care challenges - finding housing should not be one of them. I hope you will join me in cosponsoring this important legislation. If you have any questions, please contact Veronica Miller in my office. |
Introduced as SB670