OUR WORK
Supporting Survivors Who Use Substances in Shelter, Housing, and Other Residential Settings
Domestic Violence safe houses, shelters, transitional housing programs, and other residential services, are essential services that save lives. This resource collection is dedicated to supporting Accessible, Culturally-Responsive, and Trauma-Informed (ACRTI) practices within domestic violence residential programs while supporting survivors who use substances. Designed specifically for shelter, housing, and other residential settings, this hub offers practical tools, real-world strategies, and peer insights to help programs provide low-barrier, trauma-informed support using a voluntary services approach.
Here, you’ll find a collection of short interviews with survivors, advocates, coalition leaders, and shelter staff highlighting best practices and lessons learned from across the United States. The hub also includes downloadable tip sheets, sample policies and forms, and links to valuable external resources—including coalition-developed guides and training materials. These resources are designed to support your program’s efforts to reduce barriers and better serve all survivors.
Key Resources
Partner Resources
- Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence: Shelter Support
- Missouri Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence: How the Earth Did Not Fly Into The Sun: Missouri’s Project to Reduce Rules in Shelter (Guide)
- BC Society of Transition Houses: Reducing Barriers to Support for Women Fleeing Violence: A Toolkit for Supporting Women with Varying Levels of Mental Wellness and Substance Use
Shelter Hub Video Series
The videos featured here are a selection from a larger collection of interviews with advocates, program leaders, clinicians, and coalition staff from across the country. Each conversation is available in full, along with many not featured on this page, in our complete shelter hub video library.