Housing & Shelter Services

Housing is often a significant barrier for folks wanting to leave their abuser.

Our Emergency Housing program helps provide safety and respite to survivors as they work to rebuild their lives.

  • Our 21-unit emergency pet and family-friendly shelter houses households fleeing intimate partner violence for up to 90 days.

    Steps also has a Safehome program that helps households fleeing from intimate partner violence be placed in the local motels temporarily.

  • This is a temporary housing program (typically for between 6-24 months) that helps folks create achievable goals and secure permanent, affordable housing. Survivors can continue with follow-up services for up to a year after exiting transitional housing.

  • This is a temporary housing program (typically up to 12 months) that connects survivors with apartments in the community. This program provides rental assistance to survivors while they work on personal goals needed to live independently.Item description

In our housing programs, we can also support survivors by providing:

Emotional support and wraparound services  

Help meeting basic needs - including food, transportation, toiletries, cleaning supplies, and more  

The option to work with a Housing Advocate to overcome barriers to obtain permanent, safe and stable housing 

Common goals we help survivors work towards include:

Becoming financially independent 

Finding career and education opportunities 

Securing childcare 

Ways to take care of themselves 

Resolving legal and tenant/landlord issues 

Did you know?

Our shelter welcomes pets! The Steps to End Domestic Violence team recognizes that the lack of pet-friendly emergency housing options is a huge barrier for many survivors as they consider fleeing from violence in their homes. Not wanting to leave their pets behind, many survivors delay leaving unsafe situations — and even more return to unsafe homes due to concern over their pets’ safety in their absence.

Thanks to funding of over $50,000 from a Safe Housing Grant from Red Rover and support from our friends at Burlington Obedience Training Club and Humane Society of Chittenden County, our team has officially started welcoming pets into our shelter alongside survivors — making our shelter the only year-round pet-friendly emergency housing option in Chittenden County.