|
Mission
New Destiny Housing Corporation, a New York City not-for-profit
established in 1994, to help low-income victims of
domestic violence and others at risk of homelessness
transition to stable, safe, and violence-free futures
by providing housing and services.
Need
Safe, affordable housing is a basic need that must
be met if low-income individuals and families are to
break the cycle of domestic violence and achieve greater
economic and personal independence. The scarcity of
stable permanent housing is one of the main pressures
leading low-income victims of abuse to remain in potentially
dangerous situations. It also contributes to forcing
victims who have fled from violence back to their abusers.
New York City is one of the highest
cost cities for housing in the nation. It is also
a city where housing is in great demand. New York
City’s rental vacancy
rate in 2005 was 2.94%--significantly below the 5%
rate that is the legal definition of a housing emergency.
The crisis of affordable housing in New York City
exacerbates the situation of low-income domestic violence
survivors seeking safe permanent housing. Not only
are they competing with other households for scarce
housing resources but they are also limited in the
areas where they can seek housing. Often, domestic
violence survivors cannot return to their original
communities because of safety concerns.
Goals and Activities
New Destiny is unique among domestic
violence service providers in New York City. It is
the only organization focused exclusively on the
housing needs of victims of abuse. New Destiny’s
objectives are to (1) increase the supply of housing
and shelter available to domestic violence survivors
by developing new housing and (2) improve the access
of survivors to existing housing resources through
technical assistance, training, and advocacy.
New Destiny pursues its objectives
through four activities. First, we build and manage
service-enriched housing for low-income domestic
violence survivors and other low-income families.
Second, we provide real estate development services
to nonprofit social service providers seeking to
house their clients. Third, New Destiny helps victims
of abuse access existing housing and subsidy programs
through training and technical assistance. Finally,
we advocate for increasing the housing resources
available to New York City’s low-income domestic
violence survivors. |
