The transitional housing assistance grants for victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking program (transitional housing program) is authorized by 34 U.S.C. § 12351

The Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) received a $500,000 Transitional Housing Assistance for Victims of Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Stalking, or Sexual Assault Project Grant from the Department of Justice's Office on Violence Against Women. This three-year award beginning October 1, 2022 will support the YWCA's provision of transitional housing and related support services to survivors of domestic violence and other crimes in Wheeling, West Virginia. Services will include a minimum of six months and up to two years of housing assistance, as well as case management, safety planning, childcare, transportation, career counseling, financial counseling, support groups, individual counseling, job training, education attainment, and limited legal assistance. The YWCA will partner with community organizations to ensure consistent, high-quality survivor-centered services that empower victims and address barriers faced by underserved populations.

The primary purpose of the transitional housing program is to provide aid to victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking who are homeless, or in need of transitional housing or other housing assistance, as a result of their victimization, and for whom emergency shelter services or other crisis intervention services are unavailable or insufficient. A homeless individual is one 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. The program supports holistic, survivor-centered approaches to providing transitional housing and support services that move individuals into permanent housing and help them secure employment and integrate into a community. Projects must provide: 1) transitional housing and 2) support services (to include follow-up services) to survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking. Transitional housing models include: communal/shared family living spaces, clustered/individual family CO-located spaces and scattered site/individual family spaces independently located. Projects must offer a minimum of six months and maximum 24 months of housing assistance. Support services can be a wide range of survivor-centered voluntary services focused on empowering survivors and addressing the unique challenges faced by underserved populations because of geographic location, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, race, ethnicity and special needs (such as language barriers, disabilities, alienage status, or age). Examples of survivor-centered voluntary support services include: rental and utility assistance, case management, safety planning, childcare, transportation, career counseling, financial and credit counseling, support groups, individual counseling, job training, education attainment, limited legal assistance (regarding housing, protection orders, and limited immigration matters that affect a victim's ability to obtain housing), and other assistance. Projects are required to maintain a compensated partnership in the community to ensure consistent quality of service. Once permanent housing is secured, survivor-centered voluntary follow-up services are offered to survivors for a minimum of three months and a maximum of 12 months.