Survivors do not experience domestic violence, sexual violence, stalking, trafficking and housing insecurity as separate problems.
A person escaping abuse may need a safe place to live, an advocate who understands the system, financial assistance, support for their children and someone who can help them make informed choices. If any one of those pieces is missing, the road to safety can become much harder.
Three recent developments show both the promise and the uncertainty surrounding survivor services: more than $80.9 million in new federal trafficking-response grants, a court ruling that has placed a $4.04 billion federal homelessness competition on hold, and new Australian commitments designed to improve risk assessment and help survivors remain safely in their homes.
More Than $80.9 Million Available for Trafficking-Survivor Services
The U.S. Department of Justice’s Office for Victims of Crime has opened six nationwide funding opportunities totaling approximately $80.9 million.
The funding includes:
● $16.8 million for transitional housing, rental assistance, relocation costs and related support services
● $22.3 million for services to victims of human trafficking
● $9.5 million for integrated services for minor victims
● $3.5 million for prevention and early intervention programs serving girls who are at risk of trafficking or have experienced it
● $22 million for local, Tribal and statewide human-trafficking task forces
● $6.8 million for coordinated state or Tribal responses serving child and youth victims
Most funded projects are expected to begin on January 1, 2027, and operate for three years. The child-and-youth coordination grants are expected to run for four years.
Eligibility differs among the six programs. Depending on the grant, eligible applicants may include nonprofit organizations, state and local governments, Tribal governments, public and Indian housing authorities and certain educational institutions. The $6.8 million child-and-youth coordination opportunity is limited to state governments and federally recognized Tribal governments.
These are competitive grants for eligible organizations and governments. Individual survivors cannot apply directly for this money.
Initial Grants.gov deadlines range from September 28 through October 14, 2026. Complete applications in JustGrants are due between October 5 and October 21, 2026.
Why Trafficking Funding Matters to RADV
Trafficking and domestic violence can overlap in ways that are sometimes overlooked. An abusive partner may use threats, debt, housing insecurity, isolation, children, transportation or control of identification documents to trap someone. Survivors may also face exploitation after leaving abuse because they urgently need money, housing or protection.
Safe housing can interrupt that danger. So can confidential advocacy, trauma-informed care, legal navigation, child services and practical help with employment and transportation.
But announcing funding is only the beginning. The real measure of success will be whether qualified organizations receive the money and whether survivors can actually reach the resulting services.
RADV will be watching whether these awards:
● Reach rural, Tribal and underserved communities
● Protect survivor privacy and confidentiality
● Provide meaningful housing and direct services
● Include survivors in program development
● Address both sex and labor trafficking
● Build cooperation without forcing survivors to repeatedly relive their trauma
A $4.04 Billion Housing Competition Is on Hold
At the same time that new trafficking grants are available, another major source of survivor-related housing support faces uncertainty.
A federal district court vacated the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s 2026 Continuum of Care funding notice. HUD now says that the August 26, 2026, application deadline is no longer in force and that it cannot accept applications under the vacated notice at this time.
The competition involved approximately $4.04 billion for housing and supportive-service programs addressing homelessness. Its eligible population included people fleeing or attempting to flee domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking.
This does not necessarily mean that the funding has been permanently canceled. HUD is considering its legal options, including an appeal, and says it will provide additional guidance.
However, the immediate uncertainty matters. Survivor-service organizations and community homelessness systems plan staffing, housing assistance and future projects around federal funding schedules. Delays or major changes can make it harder to preserve services and prepare safe housing options.
For a survivor, housing is not simply another program category. It may determine whether leaving is possible.
A protective order cannot replace a locked door. A hotline referral cannot create an available apartment. A safety plan cannot remove the financial reality of having nowhere else to go.
RADV believes federal officials must resolve the funding process transparently and without allowing survivors to lose access to safe housing while the legal dispute continues.
Australia Connects Risk Assessment With Safe Housing
Australia is also advancing changes that may offer useful lessons for other countries.
On August 26, 2026, Australia’s National Cabinet agreed to a new National Family and Domestic Violence Risk Assessment Framework. States and territories have two years to align their systems with the framework.
The goal is to help police, healthcare professionals and other services recognise warning signs and respond more consistently wherever a survivor seeks help. Governments also agreed to establish additional national standards for the quality, consistency and accessibility of frontline domestic, family and sexual-violence responses. Progress is expected to be reported to National Cabinet by the end of 2026.
The framework is a national policy commitment, not an immediate guarantee that every survivor will receive the same response today. Its value will depend on implementation, staff training, accountability and whether agencies act on the risks they identify.
New South Wales separately announced more than $40 million over four years for the Staying Home Leaving Violence program.
All 52 participating services will receive a 50 percent increase in core funding. The first increases are expected during the current financial year.
The program helps victim-survivors remain in their homes when it is safe to do so. Assistance may include safety planning, security upgrades, case management, support for children and help navigating legal processes.
This funding is being provided to existing services. It is not an open grant round or a direct cash-assistance program for individual survivors.
The approach carries an important message: the person causing the violence should not automatically be the reason a survivor and their children lose their home, school, workplace and community connections.
Remaining at home will not be safe or appropriate in every case. Survivor choice and individual risk assessment must remain central. But when it can be done safely, security improvements and continuing support may reduce disruption and help families rebuild with greater stability.
The RADV Perspective
These developments involve different governments, programs and legal systems, but they lead to the same conclusion.
Survivor safety depends on more than promises.
It depends on whether housing is available, whether services are funded, whether trained people answer the call and whether systems recognise danger before it becomes another tragedy.
RADV supports investments that expand survivor choice, protect confidentiality and reach communities where help is hardest to find. We also believe every major funding announcement must be followed by public accountability.
The questions should always be:
● Who received the funding?
● Which communities will be served?
● What help will survivors actually be able to access?
● How will privacy and safety be protected?
● Did the investment reduce barriers and improve survivor outcomes?
Funding is not the finish line. It is the means by which shelters remain open, advocates remain available, children receive support and survivors gain real options.
Survivors should never lose their chance at safety because help existed on paper but was unavailable when they needed it.
Riders Against Domestic Violence
We Are the Bridge
RADV.org
Official Sources
● U.S. Office for Victims of Crime: Current Funding Opportunities
● HUD: Continuum of Care Program Competition and Court-Order Guidance
● Australian National Cabinet Communiqué — August 26, 2026
● New South Wales: $40 Million Boost for Staying Home Leaving Violence
This report provides general information and is not legal advice. Funding availability, deadlines and implementation details may change; applicants should review the official notices before acting.