The Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) is offering Transitional Housing Assistance Grants for Victims of Domestic and Sexual Violence.

The term “homeless” means an individual who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence, and includes an individual who is sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason. An individual who is living in a motel, hotel, trailer park, or campground due to the lack of alternative adequate accommodations are also considered homeless. Persons living in emergency or transitional shelter are also examples of homelessness. Abandoned individuals in a hospital or awaiting foster care placement are also considered homeless. An individual who has a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings, or migratory children (as defined in 20 U.S.C. § 6399) who qualify as homeless under 34 U.S.C. § 12473(6) because the children are living in circumstances described in this paragraph, are also considered to be homeless. (See 34 U.S.C. §§ 12291(a)(17), 12473(6).)

The phrase “in need of transitional housing or other housing assistance” means losing one’s current housing or otherwise needing housing assistance as a result of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking. Survivors need not be “homeless” as defined above to be “in need of transitional housing or other housing assistance,” nor do they need to be “fleeing” domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking. They do, however, need to be individuals for whom “emergency shelter services or other crisis intervention services are unavailable or insufficient” to be eligible for assistance under the Transitional Housing Program. (See 34 U.S.C. § 12351(a)(2).) For example, a sexual assault survivor whose current housing situation is no longer viable because of circumstances related to the assault – and for whom there are no sexual assault-focused emergency shelter options in the community – is eligible immediately for transitional housing assistance.

For additional information about this program and related performance measures, including how awards contribute to the achievement of program goals and objectives, see:

OVW grant program information: OVW Grants and Programs Webpage.
Program performance measures under the Measuring Effectiveness Initiative: VAWA Measuring Effectiveness Initiative webpage.
Program-specific sections in OVW’s most recent report to Congress on the effectiveness of VAWA grant programs.

What’s New About this OVW Program

The Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization Act of 2022 (VAWA 2022) revised the definition of victim services or services to include legal assistance, thereby broadening the scope of all VAWA grant programs that support victim services to include comprehensive legal assistance by an attorney.

Applicants proposing to use Transitional Housing Program grant funds for support services only may now submit budgets for up to $400,000 for the 36-month period.

The term “homeless” means an individual who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence, and includes an individual who is sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason. An individual who is living in a motel, hotel, trailer park, or campground due to the lack of alternative adequate accommodations are also considered homeless. Persons living in emergency or transitional shelter are also examples of homelessness. Abandoned individuals in a hospital or awaiting foster care placement are also considered homeless. An individual who has a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings, or migratory children (as defined in 20 U.S.C. § 6399) who qualify as homeless under 34 U.S.C. § 12473(6) because the children are living in circumstances described in this paragraph, are also considered to be homeless. (See 34 U.S.C. §§ 12291(a)(17), 12473(6).)

The phrase “in need of transitional housing or other housing assistance” means losing one’s current housing or otherwise needing housing assistance as a result of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking. Survivors need not be “homeless” as defined above to be “in need of transitional housing or other housing assistance,” nor do they need to be “fleeing” domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking. They do, however, need to be individuals for whom “emergency shelter services or other crisis intervention services are unavailable or insufficient” to be eligible for assistance under the Transitional Housing Program. (See 34 U.S.C. § 12351(a)(2).) For example, a sexual assault survivor whose current housing situation is no longer viable because of circumstances related to the assault – and for whom there are no sexual assault-focused emergency shelter options in the community – is eligible immediately for transitional housing assistance.

For additional information about this program and related performance measures, including how awards contribute to the achievement of program goals and objectives, see:

OVW grant program information: OVW Grants and Programs Webpage.
Program performance measures under the Measuring Effectiveness Initiative: VAWA Measuring Effectiveness Initiative webpage.
Program-specific sections in OVW’s most recent report to Congress on the effectiveness of VAWA grant programs.

What’s New About this OVW Program

The Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization Act of 2022 (VAWA 2022) revised the definition of victim services or services to include legal assistance, thereby broadening the scope of all VAWA grant programs that support victim services to include comprehensive legal assistance by an attorney.

Applicants proposing to use Transitional Housing Program grant funds for support services only may now submit budgets for up to $400,000 for the 36-month period.