U.S. Department of Justice: Transitional Housing Assistance Grants for Victims of Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault and Stalking

The Transitional Housing Assistance Grants for Victims of Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault and Stalking (Transitional Housing Program) supports programs that provide 6-24 months of transitional housing with support services for victims who are homeless or in need of transitional housing as a result of a situation of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault or stalking; and whom emergency shelter services or other crisis intervention services are unavailable or insufficient.

Transitional Housing Program funds must be used for one or more of the following purposes:

•  Transitional housing, including funding for the operating expenses of newly developed or existing transitional housing.
  Short-term housing assistance, including rental or utilities payments assistance and assistance with related expenses such as payment of security deposits and other costs incidental to relocation to transitional housing.
•  Support services designed to enable a minor, an adult, or a dependent of such minor or adult, who is fleeing a situation of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking to, (a) locate and secure permanent housing; (b) secure employment, including obtaining employment counseling, occupational training, job retention counseling, and counseling concerning re-entry into the workforce; and (c) integrate into a community by providing that minor, adult, or dependent with services, such as transportation, counseling, child care services, case management, and other assistance. Participation in the support services shall be voluntary.

Applicants must provide both transitional housing (Purpose Area 1 or 2) and support services (Purpose Area 3). If an applicant proposes to use Transitional Housing Program grant funds to support only transitional housing or only support services, a project partner or another funding source must sustain the remaining component for the entire 36-month project period.

Priority Areas for the current solicitation include:

• Empower victims to become survivors by focusing on long-term safety and sustainable economic independence. Applicants must propose projects that demonstrate strong partnerships with workforce development/job training programs. Successful applicants for this priority may be eligible for an additional 24 months of non-competitive funding. * Increase the response to victims of human trafficking. Applicants must propose projects that focus on direct intervention and advocacy services for victims of sexual assault who are also victims of sex trafficking. Applicants must demonstrate substantive knowledge of sex trafficking including the provision of transitional housing and support services to victims of sex trafficking and describe partnerships addressing substance abuse, mental health, and limited legal services, and identify how they will engage in outreach to victims of sex trafficking, and how they will meet their unique needs.
• Primarily serve underserved populations. Applicants must propose projects that primarily serve underserved populations who are victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. Underserved populations means populations who face barriers in accessing and using victim services, and includes populations underserved because of geographic location, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, underserved racial and ethnic populations, populations underserved because of special needs (such as language barriers, disabilities, alienage status, or age).

Notes:

The following activity can be supported only in limited circumstances (see solicitation for listing of additional circumstantial activities): Services for Children – Grant funds may be used to provide direct services to minors who meet the statutory eligibility criteria for transitional housing services, or to provide direct services to children where such services are an ancillary part of providing transitional housing and supportive services to the child’s parent (or legal guardian) who is a victim of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence or stalking.

Relevant definitions are:

1. Homeless means an individual who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence, and includes an individual who is sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason. An individual who is living in a motel, hotel, trailer park, or campground due to the lack of alternative adequate accommodations are also considered homeless. Persons living in emergency or transitional shelter are also examples of homelessness. Abandoned individuals in a hospital or awaiting foster care placement are also considered homeless. An individual who has a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings, or migratory children who qualify as homeless because the children are living in circumstances described in this paragraph, are also considered to be homeless.

2. Transitional housing refers to both transitional housing assistance (Purpose Area 1) and short-term assistance (Purpose Area 2), which are defined
as follows:

• Transitional housing assistance is temporary housing offered for at least six months and no more than 24 months that helps victims transition into permanent housing. Transitional housing is not an extended shelter stay and does not support hotel or motel stays.
• Short-term housing assistance is rental assistance and/or other financial assistance (e.g., security deposits, utility assistance, relocation costs, etc.) offered for at least six months and no more than 24 months that helps victims transition into permanent housing. Short-term housing assistance is not emergency shelter, rental assistance that is offered for less than six months, or financial assistance for victims not provided with transitional housing.

Amount: $37,000,000 is available to make up to 75 awards that range from $300,000-$500,000 for a 36-month period.

• Applicants proposing to use Transitional Housing Program grant funds for housing alone or for both housing and support services may submit budgets for up to $450,000 for the entire 36-months.
• Applicants proposing to use Transitional Housing Program grant funds for support services only may submit budgets for up to $300,000 for a 36-month period.
• Applicants proposing to address one of the priority areas may submit budgets for up to $500,000 for a 36-month period.

Eligibility: State governments; local governments; tribal governments; tribal organizations; nonprofits with or without a 501(c)(3) status; and other organizations, including domestic violence and sexual assault victim service providers and domestic violence and sexual assault coalitions, other nonprofit, nongovernmental organizations, or community-based and culturally specific organizations, that have a documented history of effective work concerning domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking.

Link: https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=330797

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