Opinion: Affordable housing critical to domestic violence survivors

Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio's support for affordable housing is critical to New York City's future, but not just because it would mean stable rents and mortgages for low- and moderate-income families.

It is also a critical tool to help homeless people get back on their feet and to save the lives of domestic violence survivors and their families in need of stable, long-term housing.

Survivors of domestic violence are especially vulnerable. They account for nearly one-third of homeless families in the city's family shelter system. And 80 percent of survivors of domestic violence who leave emergency shelters have no safe place to go. In fact, many risk staying with abusive partners because they fear becoming homeless if they leave.

De Blasio must make policy changes to give domestic violence victims better access to housing resources, and also should create new permanent housing for families at risk of homelessness.

The city should make the Department of Housing Preservation and Development's Section 8 and homeless set-aside units available to victims of domestic violence. They can use the HRA shelter system, and revise the criteria for access to New York City Housing Authority's domestic violence priority housing by adding a risk assessment tool and accepting more sources of documentation.

Fewer than one-third of survivors in domestic violence emergency shelters meet the criteria, which relies heavily on police reports and other criminal justice documentation. Finally, the application process for this housing should be streamlined to ensure survivors have safe places to stay before they leave shelters.

De Blasio's plan also must include ways to increase access to housing by investing in new units for low-income households. He also should create a new local rent subsidy -- in partnership with the state -- to families out of homelessness and into permanent housing.

These changes would save the city millions, help low-income families and homeless people, and enable survivors of domestic violence to escape their abusers before it's too late.