The Housing Crisis Facing Domestic Violence Survivors in DeKalb County
When survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking leave an abusive situation, the immediate danger often shifts to a new crisis: housing instability. While the Women’s Resource Center to End Domestic Violence (WRCDV) in DeKalb County, Georgia, excels at emergency shelter and rapid re-housing, they identified a crucial missing link: a dedicated transitional housing program to truly bridge the gap between crisis and permanent, long-term stability for survivors. That’s where we came in.
What WRCDV Needed: A Transitional Housing Program That Bridges the Gap
In Spring 2025, we partnered with WRCDV to tackle this strategic objective: securing federal funding for a program that offers real, lasting financial and emotional healing.
The Barriers Survivors Face Before Permanent Housing
For many survivors, the road to independence is paved with staggering financial challenges. Clients face an average of $5,000 in housing debt, low credit scores around 500, and a history of evictions. Combine these individual barriers with the lack of affordable housing in the Atlanta metro area, and securing a safe place becomes nearly impossible. Our goal was clear: to win federal funding to provide up to 12 months of rent subsidy and comprehensive support services, giving families the time and resources they need to stabilize before moving to permanent housing.
Our Approach: Evidence-Based Grant Development for a Victim Service Provider
To secure the coveted Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) Transitional Housing grant, we needed a powerful, evidence-based proposal.
How We Built the Data Case and Secured Partner MOUs
Our grant development process was rooted in collaboration and hard facts:
- We transformed WRCDV’s anecdotal client experiences into complex data, citing the 20,800 family violence incidents reported in DeKalb County from 2018 to 2021. That figure did not appear in the application by accident, it came from a structured needs assessment for a federal grant process we use to surface local incidence data, gaps in existing services, and unmet demand before we write a single word of narrative.
- We co-developed the Transitional Housing Program to use a safe, empowering, scattered-site apartment model. This promotes community integration and independence, coupled with holistic services like personalized financial planning with a certified advisor, mental health support groups, and the use of the Community Resiliency Model to manage trauma.
- We ensured the program was ready to launch immediately by securing strong Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) with key partners, including a private landlord, to guarantee safe and available housing units. Alongside the data work, we coordinated the MOUs and letters of support that OVW reviewers expect to see as evidence of genuine community commitment — including the landlord agreement that made the scattered-site apartment model viable from day one.
The OVW Grant Application Strategy That Won $500,000
In September 2025, WRCDV received the great news: they were awarded the $500,000 OVW Transitional Housing Assistance Grant! This is their first-ever funding dedicated to this specific transitional program.
For organizations that want a step-by-step breakdown of the full submission process before diving into case-specific strategy, our guide on how to apply for an OVW grant covers the portal requirements, narrative components, and timeline in detail. The strategy we used for WRCDV builds directly on that foundation.
Grant Award Results: What This Funding Means for 15 DeKalb Families
This three-year grant will directly provide 12 months of housing assistance to 15 families (five families per year) fleeing domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, or stalking.
Financial Freedom and Healing: The Projected Outcomes for Survivors
The power of this grant goes far beyond the rent check:
- Financial Freedom: Participants are projected to pay off an average of $5,000 in housing debt and boost their credit scores to at least 600, fundamentally removing barriers to future housing security.
- Healing and Empowerment: The program empowers families to maintain stable employment, manage emotional triggers through therapeutic supports, and build vital community connections via the SISTERs Group and SISTERship mentoring initiative.
What This Case Study Means for Your Nonprofit
By providing a safe, predictable home environment, this funding allows families to finally heal and gain financial independence, permanently breaking the cycle of abuse and housing instability. This result is consistent with the work we do across the victim services sector — our $700,000 OVW win for Satilla Advocacy Services details a similar engagement where we secured a larger award for a rural Georgia provider facing comparable housing gap conditions.
