NNEDV Joins Opportunity Starts at Home Steering Committee
June 20, 2024
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: NNEDV Communications Team (Communications@NNEDV.org)
Washington, DC – The National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV) announced today that it is joining the Opportunity Starts at Home (OSAH) multi-sector affordable housing campaign Steering Committee. As a campaign Steering Committee member, NNEDV will help engage its network of advocates to advance more robust and equitable federal housing policies for people with the lowest incomes.
“Many domestic violence survivors are forced to flee their homes to escape dangerous and life-threatening violence and are evicted at much higher rates from affordable housing. Survivors face higher rates of eviction and housing discrimination due to their survivor status, being blamed for actions of the harm-doer, and historical racial and family size discrimination in housing. A well-documented lack of safe, affordable housing options leaves many survivors, and particularly survivors of color, without a choice but to survive outside or live in unstable and violent housing situations,” said Dr. Wendy B. Mahoney, NNEDV Interim President & CEO.
“Additionally, NNEDV’s 18th Annual Domestic Violence Counts Report found that, of survivors’ 13,335 unmet requests for services in just one day, 54% were for housing or shelter. Looming budget cuts will further jeopardize survivors’ access to shelter,” continued Dr. Mahoney. “NNEDV and our member state and territorial coalitions are thrilled to join the Opportunity Starts at Home Steering Committee to work in collaboration to increase federal housing resources for safe and affordable housing options in our country.”
NNEDV is the latest addition to the campaign’s Steering Committee, now totaling 20 members. The Steering Committee, chaired by the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC), also includes National Alliance to End Homelessness, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Catholic Charities USA, Children’s HealthWatch, Catholic Charities USA, Children’s Defense Fund, Community Catalyst, Food Research and Action Center, JustLeadershipUSA, NAACP, National Alliance on Mental Illness, National Association of Community Health Centers, National Association of Social Workers, National Education Association, National League of Cities, National LGBTQ Task Force, National Women’s Law Center, Natural Resources Defense Council, and UnidosUS.
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The National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV) represents the 56 state and U.S. territorial coalitions against domestic violence. NNEDV is a social change organization working to create a social, political, and economic environment in which domestic violence no longer exists. NNEDV works to make domestic violence a national priority, change the way society responds to domestic violence, and strengthen domestic violence advocacy at every level.