About the Issue

The emergency domestic violence shelter system across New York was originally designed to house families, not survivors without children. Because of the State’s inflexible reimbursement structure, shelter providers lose significant revenue when they house a single survivor in a room designed for a parent and child. The State’s reimbursement system makes it incredibly difficult for single adult survivors of domestic and gender-based violence to access shelter. This disproportionately hurts LGBTQ+ survivors, trafficking survivors, and older adults – survivors more likely to seek shelter without children.

About the SAFE Shelter Act

The Securing Access to Fair & Equal (SAFE) Shelter Act will help expand access to life-saving domestic violence shelter to single adult survivors of domestic violence, trafficking, and sexual violence.

The SAFE Shelter Act would allow domestic violence shelters to be reimbursed for any payment differential for housing a single individual in a room intended for two people. This will help make New York’s network of domestic violence shelters more equitable and accessible to all survivors, regardless of age, sexual orientation, gender identity, or family size. And it will allow many more survivors to obtain safe, temporary housing and escape violence.

Safe Horizon worked closely with the Urban Resource Institute (URI), Volunteers of America-Greater New York, and NYSCADV, to get the SAFE Shelter Act passed in the New York State Legislature. Now we urge Governor Hochul to prioritize life-saving temporary housing for thousands of survivors of domestic violence, sexual abuse, and human trafficking by signing this critical bill into law.

You Can Help – Share our messages on social media to urge Governor Hochul to sign the SAFE Shelter Act

• Urge Governor Hochul by calling her office and posting on social media! We’ve created this social media toolkit which contains a call script, content, and graphics to help spread the word!
• Join us at a Press Conference & Rally on the steps of City Hall on Wednesday, December 18th at 10:30am to call on Governor Hochul to sign the SAFE Shelter Act into law. Survivors can’t wait another day.

We thank State Senator Andrew Gounardes and Assemblymember Andrew Hevesi for sponsoring and championing the SAFE Shelter Act. Together, we can ensure that all survivors have access to the safe shelter that they need and deserve.