At least once a month, I find myself lost in a daydream of what my life would be like if I won the lottery. Every time, the daydream starts the same; I would pay off all of my debt, my family’s debt, and my partner’s family’s debt. Next, I would set money into a high yield savings account and create high yield savings accounts for my partner and my family. I’d make a few upgrades in my life and invest in my favorite store in the world, Costco. However, I would keep working. This is good, hard work that needs to be done and I’m passionate about it. Plus, like many others, I have a scarcity mindset when it comes to finances – it’s something I am always stressed about. With the way inflation and the economy in the US currently is, I know I’m not alone in my stress about paying bills or needing to put groceries on a credit card. Many survivors of domestic violence are in dire need of financial assistance – in fact, it’s been reported that 99% of domestic violence survivors report financial abuse being a part of their past violent relationship. Furthermore, financial abuse is often one of the largest reasons that survivors have cited as why they returned or could not leave their abusive partner.

Many of our direct service providers offer shelter and some form of financial assistance, often used for rent, utilities, and sometimes even a security deposit. However, in the past several years, it feels like advocates are having to say ‘I’m sorry, we can’t use our funds to pay for that’ instead of saying ‘Yes! Someone, get the checkbook!’ This is due to the fact that many funding sources have strict rules as to what the funds can and cannot be used for – leaving many survivors stuck. Direct service providers and federally designated statewide coalitions, along with many others, have been making noise surrounding this issue. We need more flexible, direct cash assistance for survivors. Bottom line is survivors know what they need. Luckily, the Allstate Foundation heard the noise that so many were making, they saw the need. Last year, ICADV was awarded $85,000 from the Allstate Foundation with the instruction of: “Use these funds to further the economic empowerment of survivors in your state.” That was it. The only instruction. For those of you reading this that haven’t worked with grants before, usually the instructions are much, much, longer and more complicated than this. Immediately, the ICADV team knew what we needed to do with these funds; we must subgrant these funds and provide member agencies serving survivors with the same flexibility that Allstate awarded to us. And that is exactly what we did.

Frankly, many agencies were confused. The application was too easy, the list of eligible expenses was too flexible and broad, it was simply too good to be true. But it wasn’t. It wasn’t a trap; it wasn’t too good to be true. Over the course of about eight months, I had the euphoric pleasure of witnessing these funds be utilized by survivors, reading the impact they made, learning of joyful tears of freedom that were shed.

 

Here are some of those stories:

*Please note that names and other information have been changed to protect client confidentiality. *

        • “Kristi and her children escaped an abusive relationship, with little resources to start over. Through receiving services and the flexible funding from this grant, Kristi was able to focus on other areas of her life that needed attention outside of bills and childcare. This funding assisted Kristi in securing full-time employment and acquiring work-appropriate clothing. Many tears of joy were shed.”
        • “After breaking free from an abusive relationship, Tracy was able to find employment, providing a stable financial future for herself. However, this employment required reliable transportation that Tracy needed to arrange. After purchasing a dependable vehicle, the agency was able to cover two months of car payments so Tracy can focus on rebuilding other pieces of her life.”
        • “Jane and her child, Andy, endured yelling, name calling, and threats of violence causing them to live in constant fear. Jane and Andy were able to escape and begin receiving services at their local direct service program. Even while working full-time, Jane was struggling to make ends meet, when she was informed that Andy needed extensive dental work. With finances being tight, this seemed impossible. However, this grant allowed the agency to cover the cost of Andy’s desperately needed dental work and provide Jane with some piece of mind.”
        • “Brenda sought the help of our court advocates to obtain an emergency order of protection against her abusive boyfriend after he held a gun to her head and threatened to end both of their lives. Since our initial contact, Brenda has removed herself from her unsafe situation and worked very hard to better her economic situation. She has obtained a driver’s license, purchased a car and is looking forward to enrolling in college next semester. This grant funding was used to purchase for Brenda a laptop, software and accessories so that she can complete her schooling more easily. Her long-term goal is to earn a college degree in psychology or social work so that she can help other victims of domestic violence in the future.”

 

Rent, security deposits, utilities, past due utilities, mortgage payments, childcare, diapers, assistance to obtain vital legal documents, gift cards for rideshares, and more. These were all expenses that these funds helped cover – when the answer would have been ‘No’ any other time without the Allstate Foundation’s commitment to the maximum flexibility for these dollars.

As we can see – flexible funding saves lives. Not just lives, but maintains a person’s dignity, helps set them up for success, and provides some financial breathing room even if it’s just for a month. With flexible funding, programs can say ‘Yes’ and survivors can breathe deep and rebuild, instead of feeling lost in the dark. Thank you to the Allstate Foundation for making this funding available to those who need it most, we can’t wait to see what the next round of funding can do.

 

You, too, can help support survivors’ economic stability by contributing to ICADV’s Economic Assistance for Survivors Fund here.

 

— Rachal Glenn, ICADV Housing and Economic Specialist