Warning: This story references sexual assault and suicide.
Sara loves the way light streams through her Nelsonville apartment windows and shines on her two cats. The rays embody the warmth she feels in her new space.
“I definitely have a sense of safety and hope,” Sara, whose last name we’re not using to protect her privacy. “The hope is the huge part that I didn't have before.”
At three years old, a neighbor sexually assaulted Sara. Later in life, a family friend and a relative also sexually abused her. The trauma of numerous sexual assaults changed the trajectory of her life. Decades after her initial assault, she struggled to find a stable place to stay.
A statewide coalition is aiding survivors of sexual violence, like her, by helping to house them. The Ohio Alliance to End Sexual Violence (OAESV) recently received $700,000 in federal funding to help more survivors in rural areas find the space they need to heal.
Sara’s story
After multiple instances of sexual violence, Sara struggled with alcohol use and suicidal ideation. In 2020, Sara accidentally injured a loved one during a suicide attempt and was charged with a felony. That criminal record has made finding housing feel impossible, Sara said.
“Where am I going to go if I don't find anyone that's going to rent to me? I'm going to have to live in my car?,” Sarah recalled asking herself. “That just sounded awful.”
Instead, Sarah was connected to the transitional housing program run by the OAESV. It gives survivors like Sara the rental assistance and backing they need to secure safe housing for up to two years.
The alliance’s housing programs can also connect survivors to emergency stays at hotels or provide rental assistance for survivors who are struggling to pay rent, in an effort to keep them from living on the streets.
“Without us doing this work, there'd be so many people, so many families throughout the state who on top of facing trauma, they will now also face other barriers, like not physically having somewhere safe to be,” said OAESV housing program coordinator Jazmin Vera. “It just would leave so many people in unmentionable conditions.”
Sexual violence and housing
Sexual violence can lead to a domino effect in a survivor’s life and put their housing security in jeopardy, said Vera.
“Sexual violence might impact their employment and being able to go to work,” Vera said. “And if they can't go to work, most people are one paycheck away from being unhoused.”
Some survivors need to relocate quickly to flee a partner, a landlord or neighbor. But others, like Sara, might not be comfortable seeking support until years later, Vera said.
“It's not something that they just, after a month or a few years, are able to surpass,” Vera said. “It's something that they carry with them and live with for the rest of their lives.”
And without access to safe, secure housing, Ohioans are even more vulnerable to sexual violence. Women experiencing homelessness are at greater risk of experiencing sexual assault, according to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center.
Challenges in rural areas
While sexual violence survivors exist all across the state, Vera said the biggest need for support is in rural areas, like Nelsonville.
“In rural counties housing options are limited. There is not a lot of housing support for those counties and a lot of times there's just not the funding available for those survivors in those areas,” Vera said.
On top of that, limited transportation and greater isolation make it even more challenging to seek support after a sexual assault. Around 10 of Ohio’s rural counties don’t have a rape crisis center, which provide legal and medical support after an assault, according to OSAEV.
Despite the need, programs like the one helping Sara are still relatively rare. Ohio has the only transitional housing program in the country that focuses specifically on survivors of sexual violence, according to Laura Palumbo with the National Sexual Violence Resource Center.
“For a very long time, the need for housing and shelter access has been very clearly understood in situations of domestic violence, and there's been less of a strong awareness about the tie that there is for sexual assault survivors,” Palumbo said. “So [this program] is unique work that’s happening that can be replicated in other communities across the country.”
Funding uncertainties
Although the Alliance just received $700,000 from the U.S. Department of Justice to continue this kind of work, future federal funding is now in question.
Grant opportunities were recently removed from the Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women’s website. And there’s a lot of uncertainty on how efforts from the Trump administration to slash Diversity Equity and Inclusion programs could impact organizations aiding victims of gender-based violence.
“The majority of organizations that are working at the state level are really relying on federal funds. So the federal funds are are what is enabling there to be new programs and projects that expand housing access for survivors of sexual assault,” Palumbo said.
"I really want them to have hope that it doesn't have to be a sad situation, you can move on and be happy. You can move on and have your pets, your kids back because maybe you've lost them because you couldn't find a place to live. This organization, they help you reunite with your family."Sara, survivor of sexual violence
A bright future
For survivors, like Sara, safe housing is the first step to healing. Now that she’s comfortable in an apartment, Sara said for the first time in a very long time, she doesn’t feel like her past is what is defining her. She's taking budgeting classes, reconnecting with family members and focusing on her future.
“I can take the time to spend the money where it needs to go and not have to worry about paying rent,” Sara said. “And what I really want to do is become a peer recovery support specialist.”
She wants to help women like her realize they deserve a joyful life – and a home to build it in.
If you or someone you know may be considering suicide or is in crisis, call or text 9-8-8 for support.
