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Survivor Safety Fund

Help survivors get safe – right now

Donate to the Survivor Safety Fund

  1. Donate online
  2. Send a check to HCDVCC 2990 Richmond Ave, Suite 550 Houston, TX 77098
  3. Reach out to us to arrange a bank transfer or learn more 

The Survivor Safety Fund is an emergency fund housed at the Harris County Domestic Violence Coordinating Council (HCDVCC), supported by donors like you.

Created in 2017 as the Secret Sisters project, your donations provide direct financial assistance to survivors facing the highest safety risks, who are actively working with HCDVCC or partner agencies to get or stay safe.

Planning for safety looks different for every survivor and often changes quickly as risk shifts. Flexible, low-barrier funding allows survivors, together with their advocates, to decide what will keep them safest in each critical moment.

Your donation removes delays and restrictions, turning safety plans into immediate, tangible options – providing what survivors need to stay safe immediately. 

The Survivor Safety Fund in Action

What Your Donation Makes Possible

The money you donate is given directly to survivors so they can purchase what they need most to stay safe, including:

  • Emergency housing, rent, and hotel stays
  • Food and medical costs
  • Transportation (car repairs, gas, bus passes, or plane tickets to reach safe people)
  • Childcare
  • Security devices (doorbell cameras, alarms, private cell phones)
  • Legal fees
  • Other urgent needs tied directly to safety and stability

What Flexibility Looks Like in Practice

A survivor facing eviction used funds to pay overdue car insurance, allowing her to keep her job, maintain transportation, and avoid returning to harm. 
A  survivor facing escalating risks changed her locks, purchased medication, and installed a security camera, restoring safety and peace of mind in her home. 
After surviving years of strangulation, a survivor used funds for a bus ticket across the country to reunite with family. Two months later, she reported she was safe, healing, and rebuilding her life.  
A pregnant survivor and her children fled immediate danger after an assault. Flexible funds covered a hotel stay, food, and clothing, allowing the family to stabilize while longer-term housing was secured.  
A survivor whose abuser destroyed her phone used funds to replace the device and restore safe communication with advocates, employers, and family.  
A survivor who lost her income when her car broke down used funds for repairs, allowing her to return to work and regain financial stability. She described the support as restoring control over her future.  

Community support keeps the Survivor Safety Fund flexible, confidential, and grounded in trust. 

Donate to the Survivor Safety Fund

  1. Donate online
  2. Send a check to HCDVCC 2990 Richmond Ave, Suite 550 Houston, TX 77098
  3. Reach out to us to arrange a bank transfer or learn more 

Make It Monthly

Survivors don’t experience crisis just once, and fleeing abuse is a process, not a single moment. A monthly gift to the Survivor Safety Fund creates steady, reliable support when it’s needed most.

Your Support Is Needed Now

Public funding is shrinking at the federal, state, and local levels, as survivor needs are rising. The gap between what survivors need and what systems can provide is growing.

Here’s what survivors are facing:

  • Survivors have about $250 in savings on average, due to the economic control at the heart of domestic violence.
  • Survivors report needing $700–$900 to get or stay safe.
  • Finances remain one of the biggest barriers to safety.

Since 2021, HCDVCC has led the Harris County Domestic Violence Assistance Fund, administering unrestricted emergency assistance across 20 agencies in Harris County.

Still, public dollars alone cannot meet this moment.

Your donation helps close this gap and ensures survivors have real, immediate options to stay safe and housed.

Why Flexible Support Works

Survivors, scholars, advocates, and practitioners across the country have made one thing clear: flexible financial assistance works.

Research shows that small, flexible cash assistance improves survivor safety, stability, and long-term outcomes. Survivor-led organizations nationwide continue to demonstrate that when survivors can decide what they need most, they are better able to leave harm and rebuild on their own terms.

“From the outside, the connection between certain costs and a survivor’s or their child’s immediate safety may not be obvious. But we heard from survivors that covering direct costs like car repairs and clothes for work helped them maintain custody of their kids, earn income, take steps toward independence from a harm-doer, and stay housed.”

 – Kirkley Doyle, Amy Durrence & Sonya Passi (2020) Survivors Know Best: How to Disrupt Intimate Partner Violence during COVID-19 and Beyond, FreeFrom

By making your generous gift you’ll receive periodic updates about the Harris County Domestic Violence Coordinating Council’s critical work to help families restarting their lives and how your support makes a difference. 

The Harrris County Domestic Violence Coordinating Council (HCDVCC) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and donations are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law. EIN: 76-0533828