Opened on June 30, 2017 and funded by the New York City Human Resources Administration (“HRA”), the Renee Steedley Family Residence is a transitional Tier II domestic violence residence. The mission of the Renee Steedley Family Residence is to offer survivors and their minor children, a safe but temporary haven in which to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives. The secondary goal of the Renee Steedley Family Residence is to prepare families for independent living, assist them in locating permanent housing within or outside the State of New York, and to offer a host of on- and off-site supportive services that will help empower victims and minimize the root causes of domestic violence.
The Renee Steedley Family Residence offers survivors (regardless of gender, race, culture, religion, ethnic background, or sexual preference) the opportunity to reside in a secured environment for up to six months or more, as needed. The program is culturally sensitive to allow families to feel immediately at home and to foster ethnic pride in children and family members. The Renee Steedley Family Residence is able to accommodate families including those with adolescent children, up to eighteen years of age, and male head-of-household.
The Renee Steedley Family Residence provides temporary accommodations with on-site social services to 54 homeless parents. During their stay, each family is housed in a furnished studio, one or two bedroom, fully furnished apartment, depending upon family configuration. All applicants are domestic violence survivors with children and reside outside of the Renee Steedley Family Residence catchment area. All families have access to onsite social services that address the psychological and concrete causes and effects of domestic violence, homelessness and unemployment.
During their time-limited length of stay (normally no more than six months), residents are educated on family safety, non-violent relationship choices, economic self-sufficiency, and finding and maintaining permanent housing.
Referrals to the shelter come via the NYC Human Resources Administration after a family has exceeded their maximum length of stay (90 days) in an emergency domestic violence shelter.
