Rights and Public Benefits for Survivors

Being a survivor is expensive.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that the cost of intimate partner violence over a survivor’s lifetime is $103,767 for women and $23,414 for men.  (Similar data on transgender, non-binary, and gender non-confirming survivors is limited.)  In many abusive relationships, financial abuse is a common tactic to exert control over a survivor’s use of and access to money.  And even if a survivor leaves an abusive relationship, there may still be abuse-related costs, such as those related to healing (therapy, medical bills), legal costs (court filing fees, attorney fees), safety (relocation, new household items, new tech devices), and lost wages.

The Hawaiʻi State Coalition Against Domestic Violence (HSCADV) has developed resources for survivors and advocates to better understand victim/survivor rights and the processes of obtaining the most common government benefits such as SNAP and TANF/TAONF.

Click on the links below to learn more about:

• Crime Victim Compensation
• Leave of Absence for Domestic and Sexual Violence Victims
• Statewide Automated Victim Information and Notification (SAVIN)
• Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP)
• Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Temporary Assistance for Other Needy Families (TAONF)
• Unemployment Insurance
• Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)
• Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA)
• Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) Housing Protections

Mahalo to HSCADV’s intern Camryn Toner for her significant contributions to the creation of these resources!

July 2023