Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence

PCADV IS THE OLDEST STATEWIDE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE COALITION IN THE NATION. EACH YEAR, ITS NETWORK OF 59 LOCAL DOMESTIC VIOLENCE PROGRAMS PROVIDES FREE AND CONFIDENTIAL DIRECT SERVICES TO NEARLY 80,000 VICTIMS AND SURVIVORS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, AND THEIR CHILDREN, IN ALL 67 COUNTIES OF THE COMMONWEALTH. TOGETHER, THE LOCAL PROGRAMS AND THE STATEWIDE COALITION WORK COLLABORATIVELY TO DELIVER A CONTINUUM OF SERVICES, SUPPORT, AND SYSTEMS TO HELP VICTIMS AND SURVIVORS FIND SAFETY, OBTAIN JUSTICE, AND BUILD LIVES FREE OF ABUSE.PCADV PASSES THROUGH 90% OF ITS CORE FUNDING TO 59 LOCAL DOMESTIC VIOLENCE PROGRAMS WHICH USE THESE FUNDS TO DELIVER A BREADTH OF SURVIVOR-CENTERED SERVICES TO PENNSYLVANIANS EXPERIENCING DOMESTIC VIOLENCE. AT THE SAME TIME, PCADV PROVIDES INFRASTRUCTURE AND BUILDS CAPACITY FOR THE LOCAL PROGRAMS THROUGH TRAINING, TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, AND STATEWIDE SYSTEMS ADVOCACY AND PUBLIC AWARENESS.

PA DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICESTHE PA DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES (DHS) PROVIDES FOUNDATIONAL FUNDING FOR COMPREHENSIVE CORE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SERVICES ACROSS PENNSYLVANIA. PCADV PASSES THROUGH 90% OF THIS FUNDING TO ITS 59 LOCAL DOMESTIC VIOLENCE PROGRAMS, WHICH PROVIDE DIRECT SERVICES TO NEARLY 80,000 SURVIVORS AND THEIR CHILDREN EACH YEAR. AT THE SAME TIME, PCADV USES THE ADMINISTRATIVE PORTION OF THIS FUNDING TO PROVIDE INFRASTRUCTURE AND BUILD CAPACITY FOR ITS NETWORK OF LOCAL DOMESTIC VIOLENCE PROGRAMS.THE LOCAL DOMESTIC VIOLENCE PROGRAMS USE THESE FUNDS TO PROVIDE A BREADTH OF SURVIVOR-CENTERED SERVICES TO PENNSYLVANIANS EXPERIENCING DOMESTIC VIOLENCE. MANY OF THESE SERVICES CAN BE LIFE-SAVING, INCLUDING 24-HOUR HOTLINES, SAFETY PLANNING, COUNSELING AND SUPPORT, SUPPORT NAVIGATING THE LEGAL SYSTEM AND COURT ACCOMPANIMENT, TRANSPORTATION SERVICES, PREVENTION, AND EMERGENCY SHELTER. PROGRAMS ALSO LEVERAGE THESE FUNDS TO PRODUCE PUBLIC EDUCATION AND AWARENESS EVENTS, PROVIDE TRAINING TO COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDERS AND PARTNERS, AND ENGAGE IN SYSTEMS ADVOCACY TO IMPROVE ACCESS FOR SURVIVORS AND THEIR CHILDREN.IN FISCAL YEAR 2022, PCADV'S 59 LOCAL DOMESTIC VIOLENCE PROGRAMS SERVED 79,900 SURVIVORS. PROGRAM STAFF ANSWERED 91,233 HOTLINE CALLS. THE PROGRAMS COLLECTIVELY SHELTERED 9,059 SURVIVORS AND THEIR CHILDREN FOR A TOTAL OF 220,397 SHELTER NIGHTS. IN ADDITION TO PROVIDING THESE DIRECT SERVICES TO SURVIVORS, THE PROGRAMS HOSTED, OVERALL, 7,330 EDUCATION AND AWARENESS ACTIVITIES WITH MORE THAN 180,941 PARTICIPANTS. VOLUNTEERS COMMITTED 84,136 HOURS TO SUPPLEMENT THESE EFFORTS. PCADV AND ITS LOCAL PROGRAMS HELP SURVIVORS RESTORE THEIR SAFETY AND SECURITY THROUGH THE RELOCATION PROGRAM. LAST FISCAL YEAR ALONE, 2,498 SURVIVORS AND THEIR FAMILIES RECEIVED FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE THROUGH THIS PROGRAM. A TOTAL OF $737,000 WAS INVESTED IN RELOCATION EFFORTS HELPING SURVIVORS MOVE AWAY FROM THEIR ABUSERS OR REMAIN SAFELY IN THEIR OWN HOMES AFTER AN ABUSER RELOCATED.PCADV'S 17 FUNDED CIVIL LEGAL REPRESENTATION (CLR) SITES REPRESENTED A TOTAL OF 5,425 CLIENTS HELPING THEM TO NAVIGATE THE LEGAL SYSTEM WHILE THEY SOUGHT SAFETY. THESE SITES COLLECTIVELY SECURED $62,000 IN COURT-ORDERED SUPPORT FOR SURVIVORS AND THEIR CHILDREN. PROVIDING THE INFRASTRUCTURE FOR THIS WORK, PCADV STAFF SUPPORTED THE 59 LOCAL PROGRAMS BY CONDUCTING 161 TRAINING SESSIONS FOR MORE THAN 8,000 PARTICIPANTS AND RESPONDING TO 1,516 REQUESTS FOR TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE. PCADV SUPPORTS COMMUNITY-LEVEL SYSTEMS ADVOCACY BY FOCUSING ITS EFFORTS ON STATEWIDE SYSTEMS CHANGE. STAFF PARTICIPATED IN MORE THAN 289 COLLABORATIVE MEETINGS WITH STAKEHOLDERS AND PARTNERS.ADDITIONALLY, WE ALSO FUND SEVEN CULTURALLY SPECIFIC PROGRAMS THROUGH COLLABORATIONS WITH LOCAL DOMESTIC VIOLENCE PROGRAMS TO SERVE SPECIFIC NEEDS OF REFUGEES AND SURVIVORS FROM POPULATIONS OFTEN UNDERSERVED BY TRADITIONAL VICTIM SERVICE PROVIDERS. THESE PROGRAMS ALSO SERVE AS COMMUNITY MEMBERS IN THE DELEGATION.

RAPID RE-HOUSINGPCADV IS COMMITTED TO SUPPORTING MEMBER PROGRAMS IN DEVELOPING NEW INNOVATIVE HOUSING INITIATIVES AND ENSURING THAT CURRENTHOUSING OPTIONS ARE WORKING FOR SURVIVORS. DURING THE LAST TWO YEARS, PCADV HAS PIVOTED QUICKLY, IN DIRECT RESPONSE TO THE IMPACTTHE PANDEMIC HAS HAD ON SURVIVORS, TO SUPPORT MEMBER PROGRAMS WITH HOUSING SOLUTIONS. WE ARE WORKING TO HELP MEMBERPROGRAMS UNDERSTAND AND IMPLEMENT THE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE HOUSING FIRST PHILOSOPHY, BECAUSE WE NEVER WANT A SURVIVOR TO HAVETO CHOOSE BETWEEN AN ABUSIVE HOME AND HOMELESSNESS.SINCE 2019, PCADV HAD BEEN AWARDED $7.3 MILLION IN RAPID REHOUSING FUNDS, OR SHORT-TERM RENTAL ASSISTANCE, FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT'S ANNUAL CONTINUUM OF CARE FUNDING COMPETITION. THESE FUNDS ARE CRITICAL TO THE SAFETY AND STABILITY OF SURVIVORS AND ARE FOCUSED PRIMARILY IN RURAL AREAS OF THE COMMONWEALTH, WHERE NEEDS ARE OFTEN FAR GREATER THAN RESOURCES AVAILABLE. TO DATE, THERE HAVE BEEN OVER 700 HOUSEHOLDS THAT HAVE RECEIVED RAPID REHOUSING FUNDING AND SERVICES, AND OVER 80% OF THOSE HOUSEHOLDS HAVE MOVED ON TO RENT WITHOUT A SUBSIDY. THIS FAR EXCEEDS GOALS SET BY THEN FUNDER AND IS AN EXCELLENT EXAMPLE OF THE SUCCESS OF PCADV MEMBER PROGRAMS IN SERVING SURVIVORS. THIS FUNDING HAS MADE AN EXTENSIVE IMPACT, BUT INCREASED FUNDING AND CAPACITY BUILDING FOR RENTAL ASSISTANCE AND ONGOING SERVICES IS ESSENTIAL TO INSTITUTIONALIZE RRH AND DVHF ACROSS THE COC. PCADV IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DATA QUALITY AND FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT OF THE GRANT. PCADV HAS ORGANIZED TRAININGS AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE OPPORTUNITIES FOR MEMBER PROGRAMS TO INCREASE THEIR UNDERSTANDING OF RRH AND HOUSING RETENTION FOR SURVIVORS.

HUD EMERGENCY SERVICES GRANT (ESG)IN APRIL 2021, PCADV WAS AWARDED AN EMERGENCY SHELTER GRANT OF $6.25 MILLION THROUGH COVID RELIEF FUNDS TO SUPPORT HOMELESSNESS PREVENTION AND HOTEL EMERGENCY SHELTER. THIS GRANT SUPPORTS 23 PROGRAMS SERVING 17 RURAL AND 11 URBAN COUNTIES. PCADV'S ADMINISTRATION OF THIS GRANT IMPROVES LOCAL PROGRAM CAPACITY AND ESTABLISHES THE FRAMEWORK FOR FUTURE ESG FUNDS.THIS FUNDING HAS FILLED MANY GAPS CREATED BY COVID-19, FROM EVICTION PREVENTION TO PAYING FOR HOTEL COSTS WHEN EMERGENCY SHELTERS ARE FULL. SINCE JULY 2022, PCADV MEMBER PROGRAMS HAVE BEEN ABLE TO SUPPORT 928 HOUSEHOLDS. EXAMPLES OF SUPPORT INCLUDE UTILITY PAYMENTS, PAST DUE RENT, HOTEL COSTS, AND INCREASED DEPOSITS. DUE TO THE IMPACTS OF ECONOMIC ABUSE, SURVIVORS OFTEN NEED EXTRA SUPPORT WHEN RENTING. AS THE COMPETITION WITHIN THE RENTAL MARKET CONTINUES TO INCREASE, CREATIVE FUNDING SOLUTIONS LIKE ESG ARE ESSENTIAL TO HELPING SURVIVORS FIND SAFE AND AFFORDABLE HOUSING. PCADV IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DATA QUALITY AND FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT OF THE GRANT. PCADV HAS ORGANIZED TRAININGS AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE OPPORTUNITIES FOR MEMBER PROGRAMS TO INCREASE THEIR UNDERSTANDING OF HOUSING OPTIONS FOR SURVIVORS.