A domestic abuse survivor making her rent payment after moving out of an unsafe home; a mother who can afford to feed her children; a woman who can commute to and from work without breaking the bank.
These are some of the over 4,000-plus survivors of gender-based violence in Illinois who received direct cash assistance in 2024 from the Survivor Fund of the Network, a collaborative membership organization dedicated to improving the lives of those impacted by such abuse.
In partnership with the city of Chicago’s Department of Family and Support Services, the Survivor Fund dispersed over $5 million to 4,111 survivors, making it the largest direct cash assistance program for gender-based violence survivors in the country. Individuals fleeing violence at home used these funds for safe housing, food, utilities and transportation — basic needs that are often unmet without critical support.
Recent critiques of direct cash assistance have painted a dangerously misleading picture. Some claims have gone as far as to deem it detrimental. Nothing could be further from the truth. For communities in crisis, direct cash isn’t just helpful, it’s transformative. More than half of the Survivor Fund recipients — 61% — said it improved their safety.
Was it enough? Of course not. Some 41% said that the program’s $1,000 grants couldn’t fully meet their needs. Seventy-two percent of applicants, or 8,480 victims, were turned away due to a lack of program funding. The need is enormous, and with survivor safety and independence on the line, it is critical we meet it. But we need to step up further to protect Illinoisans.
Over the last five years, expanded federal safety net programs empowered cities, counties and states to make bold investments that transformed the health and safety of their residents. But in the span of just one month, the Trump administration has unraveled that progress, stripping away critical support that millions of Americans have counted on for generations.
To be clear, the bureaucracy of the federal safety net has never been perfect, as a Survivor Fund recipient named Josie found out.
When Josie applied for public benefits, she expected the process to be difficult, but not disheartening and lacking in transparency. For days, she never received an update or confirmation that her application was received. And when her notification finally arrived, it delivered devastating news: Her application had been denied.
“It had been two weeks, and I was just thinking, ‘How am I going to pay my rent this month?” Josie recalled. “It’s very demoralizing. And there doesn’t seem to be any extra benefits from the state if you did identify on the form as a survivor.”
Josie’s experience is not unique. The current public benefits portal, riddled with communication breakdowns and a lack of clarity, leaves countless individuals — especially survivors — struggling in silence. The system’s failure to prioritize urgency or respond to vulnerability puts people in precarious positions, not just financially, but emotionally.
This has always been true. Unfortunately, it will get a lot worse. With new work requirements, more stringent eligibility thresholds and more frequent redeterminations, millions of Americans will lose access to coverage or be unable to navigate the bureaucracy to access the coverage they deserve. In short, we’re about to see a whole lot more people like Josie.
While Josie’s story is about red-tape frustration, it is also a tale colored with hope. After her advocate at Apna Ghar, a nonprofit that supports survivors of gender-based violence, connected her with the Survivor Fund, she received a grant that helped her fill some financial gaps left by the denial of public benefits. The resource was a lifeline she might never have found without trusted guidance to help her.
Illinois cannot wall itself off from the Trump administration’s undermining of the social safety net. But we are not powerless. We must double down on efforts to enroll people in the benefits they qualify for and keep people enrolled in the benefits they already receive. But we are now contending with systems that are not just inefficient but actively designed to keep people out. There must be state-level support for those who will inevitably fall through Donald Trump’s manufactured cracks, including direct cash assistance.
Local leaders have a chance right now to reject the cruelty and negligence of the federal system and build something better. They can champion policies and programs that are transparent, community-centered and swift in their delivery of support. This is not just about fixing a system, it’s about demonstrating the moral courage to stand with our most vulnerable when the federal government fails to do so.
Ameya Pawar is president and CEO of the Michael Reese Health Trust.
Amanda Pyron serves as the president and CEO of The Network: Advocating Against Domestic Violence, a comprehensive organization advocating, educating and organizing to end gender-based violence. The Network operates the Illinois Domestic Violence Hotline and the Survivor Fund, the country’s largest cash assistance program for survivors of gender-based violence.