Economic Advocacy and Empowerment

Survivors must often contend with substantial damage done to their credit, employment history, and general financial well-being. Many programs are exploring ways to directly address these challenges.

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Fact Sheet: Economic Abuse

2013
Wider Opportunities for Women

Economic abuse may leave survivors homeless, unemployed or unable to access supports or resources that can help them rebuild their lives. This can result in greater dependency on their abuser to provide for basic needs or an inability to recover from an act of violence. Outlines steps service providers and the justice system can take to help survivors address the immediate and long-term consequences of economic abuse.

Getting Started: A Handbook to Address Economic Security for Survivors

2012
Wider Opportunities for Women

Getting Started: A Handbook to Address Economic Security for Survivors is a step-by-step tool for transitional housing professionals on how to comprehensively address the economic security of survivors. This tool will equip case managers, advocates and direct service staff with the information and resources they need to counsel survivors in economic self-sufficiency and career planning, covering each step of preparing survivors for career success, including assessment, education and training, and employment. The Handbook reviews identifying good jobs, setting realistic goals, strategies in overcoming barriers to employment and more.

Home Free's Employment Access Services

2014
Kris Billhardt
VOA Home Free

This presentation discusses Home Free's addition of employment access services to its Housing First program, provides suggestions for programs wanting to move in this direction and emphasizes the importance of partnerships to better ensure that survivors receive assistance with this important service.

In Focus: Sexual Violence - Economic Security for Survivors Project

2015
Wider Opportunities for Women

While the immediate impact of sexual assault may include fear, injury, diminished quality of life and emotional distress, survivors can also incur long-term economic costs with life-long impacts. The costs and impacts of sexual assault can increase the likelihood of homelessness, unemployment and interrupted careers or education. This can create cyclical risk of re-victimization. This report examines barriers to safety and justice for SA survivors, and to specific populations in particular, and makes key recommendations about how to respond.

Older Survivors & Economic Security

2013
Wider Opportunities for Women

This Population Policy Brief focuses on the victimization, costs of abuse and barriers to safety and recovery that older survivors experience. The Office of Violence Against Women defines older survivors as those over 50 years of age. This recognizes that older adults, who are largely past their reproductive years but are too young for services available to seniors, are particularly vulnerable due to a lack of programs and supports targeting this population. Include discussion of strategies and solutions.