What We Do
Economic Justice Project
Economic insecurity is one of the biggest obstacles to safety for domestic violence victims and their families. The inability to survive financially without the abuser – due to loss of income, a place to live, childcare, and other money and resources – is the reason that survivors most often give for why they have to return to their abusers.
The battered women’s movement has had great success in creating safe options for women and children in immediate danger, and in reforming criminal and civil procedures. However, we have not yet addressed the many social conditions that prevent long-term independence and safety for survivors.
What is Economic Justice?
Economic Justice means fairness and equity in economic affairs. Having laws, governments and institutions that treat people equally and avoids favoring particular individuals or groups. GCADV uses the terms “economic justice” to mean that women and girls have adequate access to money and other basic resources, such as housing, childcare, transportation, education, training. It also means that victims can make decisions about their lives and intimate relationships without fearing the negative financial impact of those decisions.
As part of its ongoing effort to promote the economic security of domestic violence victims, the Georgia Coalition Against Domestic Violence’s Economic Justice Project has several components:
- Transitional Housing Project for Victims of Domestic Violence
- Ways to Work Transportation Program
- Women of Color Caucus
- Allstate Safe Hands Pilot Project
- Domestic Violence/Child Protective Services Collaborative Training Project
Transitional Housing Project
GCADV, along with project Partners, Project SAFE, Partnership to Prevent Domestic Violence and Circle of Hope, operate three Transitional Housing Project in Jackson County, Gwinnett County and Habersham County. These three programs, two rural, one urban, are funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Supportive Housing Program. This program leases and furnishes housing units of varying sizes to accommodate homeless victims of domestic violence and their children.
Program participants can live in the units for up to two years, while taking advantage of a wide-range of supportive services, including childcare, counseling, education and training. The project is designed to
increase the economic and housing security of victims in order that they may move on to productive lives
away from abuse
Ways to Work
Funded by the Allstate Foundation, GCADV’s Ways to Work Program provides transportation assistance for the residents of our transitional housing program in their efforts to find employment. This assistance can include purchase of used cars, payment of car insurance, registration, repairs, maintenance and gas.
Allstate Safe Hands Pilot Project
Georgia was one of five states selected to participate in this pilot project in conjunction with the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV) to develop an economic empowerment curriculum to be used by domestic violence victims.
Domestic Violence/Child Protective Services Collaborative
This Collaboration between the Georgia Coalition Against Domestic Violence and the Georgia Department of Human Resources was established to analyze welfare practices in Georgia and to give feed back based on this analysis to the state’s child protective services division about how it is succeeding or failing with it’s current efforts to provide economic assistance to battered women and children.
For More Information on GCADV’s Economic Justice Project, Economic Justice Coordinator.