National Center on Domestic Violence, Trauma, and Mental Health

Home
United States
Chicago, IL
National Center on Domestic Violence, Trauma, and Mental Health

Directions Website

NCDVTMH promotes survivor-defined healing by transforming the systems that impact survivors of domestic and sexual violence and their families.
(1)

We envision a society free of systemic, collective, and individual trauma.

10/30/2026

Long before she became our Director, Gabriela Zapata-Alma began this work in 2005 as a case manager in supportive housing, sitting across from people navigating violence and its effects on their health, mental health, and substance use. What she learned there is at the heart of this year’s campaign: a safe place to live is never just a roof.

All month, shelter staff, advocates, and survivors have shown what becomes possible when programs open their doors more fully. As Domestic Violence Awareness Month closes, that work continues, and in Gabriela’s words, it holds because we hold it together.

Thank you for following Shelter Is the Key. Explore Supporting Survivors Who Use Substances in Shelter, Housing, and Other Residential Settings: https://ncdvtmh.org/our-work/cross-sector/substance-use-shelter-hub/

10/28/2026

“The paperwork took 10 minutes. The process took 10 years.”

Changing an intake form is the easy part. As Katie Spriggs puts it, “Everyone can say they’re trauma-informed and then screen out.” Her own program had to close that gap, too.

In this segment, Katie describes how it moved from screening survivors out to screening them in, and why training staff and shifting culture is the real, ongoing work.

Watch the full segment: https://youtu.be/AL13ZTrUYIo

10/26/2026

Here's an exercise any program can try this month: go through your rules, one by one, and ask what each one is for. In "Give Me a Reason Why You Have to Have It," Laura Zahnd describes how programs did exactly that — and what they discovered about which rules supported safety and which only created barriers.

Watch: https://youtu.be/tpZ6huoUjqs

10/21/2026

Access expands when programs have the tools to open their doors more fully.
What does a welcoming program feel like from the moment someone walks in?

In What the Physical Space Provides, Jessa Winas reflects on how the spaces we create can offer survivors privacy, dignity, and real options — and why the building itself is part of the work.
Watch the full segment here: https://youtu.be/H0oMP51prQc

10/15/2026

"Why isn't it enough that somebody just needs shelter?"
Programs often carry real concerns about welcoming survivors who use substances — about safety, reputation, and what could go wrong.

In "What's the Harm? - Reputation Concerns and What's on the Other Side of Change", Kait Sorensen takes those concerns seriously—and shares what her program discovered when it looked closely at what its rules were actually protecting.

Watch the full segment: https://youtu.be/jhDIhKnuwRQ
Explore the hub: https://ncdvtmh.org/our-work/cross-sector/substance-use-shelter-hub/

10/12/2026

When support comes with conditions a survivor cannot meet, an open door can still remain out of reach. Survivors with mental health and substance use experiences can face added barriers when seeking safety—and those facing some of the greatest risks may have the fewest accessible options.

In the segment, "Turned Away: What Happens When Services Aren't Accessible," Christina Love shares her own experience of reaching a shelter door and not being able to come inside—and what changed when a program finally saw the whole person.

Watch: https://youtu.be/Y0QTyxzsfwc for the full segment, or visit https://ncdvtmh.org/our-work/cross-sector/substance-use-shelter-hub/ to learn more.

10/10/2026

Today is . Domestic violence is a leading cause of homelessness, and the majority of victims and survivors identify “access to money” as a barrier to leaving an abuser.

No survivor should ever be forced to stay with an abusive partner just to keep a roof over their head. But every day across the country, local programs and shelters are forced to turn away thousands of survivors in need, because they simply don't have the money, space, or resources to help them all.

Whether we realize it or not, impacted by these challenges. We all deserve to live in safe, well-resourced communities, and victims and their children deserve to know that help will always be available if they need it.

Take an NNEDV Action Alert and tell Congress to properly fund these programs: NNEDV.org/TakeAction

[Image description: Against a purple-toned image of a key and house-shaped keychain, text reads: "Domestic violence is a leading cause of homelessness." The Every1KnowsSome1 and NNEDV logos are below.]

10/09/2026

All month long, we're sharing voices from our newly published resource: Supporting Survivors Who Use Substances in Shelter, Housing, and Other Residential Settings.

This online hub features short video interviews with shelter staff, advocates, coalition leaders, and survivors from across the country — people doing the everyday work of opening doors more fully for survivors who use substances. Alongside the interviews, you'll find tip sheets, sample policies, and practical guidance for shelter, housing, and other residential programs.

In the coming weeks, we'll introduce you to some of these voices: what they've learned, what they've changed, and what became possible when they did.

First up: Toshira Monroe speaks on what one young mother taught her about what safety really feels like. https://youtu.be/6F_K3hJ4YQs?si=YQsFgMoKvnortzHd

Explore the full hub: https://ncdvtmh.org/our-work/cross-sector/substance-use-shelter-hub/

10/07/2026

*Edit- Heather Phillips, MA is our Research Director!

Housing is a lifeline — and unsafe partners target that lifeline.

In our recent study with the National Domestic Violence Hotline, 45.3% of survivors reported that an unsafe partner used substance use coercion to make it harder for them to get or keep housing. That was true for 57.6% of survivors with a history of substance use challenges — and for 34.6% of those with none. When a survivor's route to shelter narrows, the danger they face increases.

Join us for our DVAM webinar, Shelter Is the Key: Supporting Survivors Affected by Substance Use Coercion in Shelter and Other Residential Programs, on Tuesday, October 20 at 2:00pm CT.

Register Now: https://ow.ly/oMsH50ZVh2n

10/02/2026

This Domestic Violence Awareness Month, NCDVTMH presents Shelter Is the Key — unlocking safety, stability, and what comes next. All month, we're exploring housing at the intersections of domestic violence, mental health, and substance use.

No survivor should have to choose between remaining in a dangerous relationship and losing their housing. A safe place to live is more than a roof: it can unlock access to work, education, care, community, and the opportunity to shape what comes next.

Follow along for stories from shelter programs and survivors across the country, new research, a webinar, and practical tools from our Substance Use Shelter Hub.

Address

Chicago, IL

Website

http://www.ncdvtmh.org/, https://linktr.ee/ncdvtmh

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when National Center on Domestic Violence, Trauma, and Mental Health posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.