Feature Story

December 9, 2007

New Destiny Housing Corporation Receives $256,000 Grant from The Oak Foundation

New Destiny Housing Corporation

Grant will help nonprofit developer expand housing options for survivors of domestic violence

New Destiny Housing Corporation, a nonprofit developer that provides housing and services for families at risk of homelessness, particularly survivors of domestic violence, has received a three-year, $256,000 grant from The Oak Foundation to launch Project Safe Home, a new initiative that will increase permanent housing options for its target population.

The pilot program will enable New Destiny to link low-income domestic violence shelter residents with vacant apartments in "tax credit" buildings where owners and developers receive tax incentives to provide affordable rents.

Carol Corden, New Destiny’s executive director, says, "Sixty percent of the individuals and families exiting emergency domestic violence shelters and more than a third of those leaving transitional shelters lack safe, permanent housing. Project Safe Home offers an encouraging new alternative that will enable us to explore a previously untapped resource. A special plus is that these units are high quality and well-maintained. We are extremely grateful to The Oak Foundation for its generous support."

Through Project Safe Home New Destiny will be able to inform potential tenants of available units, guide them through the application process, and identify providers to support survivors and keep them safely housed. The program will also help the owners and managers of "tax credit" buildings fill vacancies more quickly.

The initiative is an outgrowth of New Destiny’s housing development, direct service, and advocacy activities. Corden explains, "Project Safe Home will enable us to set in motion a fresh new method for matching tenants with existing apartments in a highly systematic and coordinated way. It offers a creative, straightforward solution to an extremely complex problem, and may well make the difference between living in safety and in danger for those fleeing abusers."