{"id":418106,"date":"2026-07-30T15:18:21","date_gmt":"2026-07-30T15:18:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/418106\/"},"modified":"2026-07-30T15:18:21","modified_gmt":"2026-07-30T15:18:21","slug":"this-domestic-violence-shelter-was-told-it-no-longer-aligns-with-the-trump-administrations-priorities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/418106\/","title":{"rendered":"This domestic violence shelter was told it no longer aligns with the Trump administration\u2019s priorities"},"content":{"rendered":"

Trump\u2019s war on \u2018gender ideology\u2019 and diversity is hurting San Francisco Asian Women\u2019s Shelter\u2019s ability to help victims\u2014many of whom can\u2019t get help anywhere else. It\u2019s already cost them nearly $500,000.
By Jasmine Mithani<\/a> for The 19th<\/a><\/p>\n

For a long time, reaching out for help felt insurmountable. Through her job, Monica Paz had seen firsthand the discrimination faced by trans women survivors at mainstream domestic violence service organizations.<\/p>\n

It was the safety of her dog, Franky, that finally persuaded Paz to risk seeking support, she said. The only person she trusted was an advocate at San Francisco\u2019s Asian Women\u2019s Shelter (SFAWS), which runs the sole LGBTQ+-specific domestic violence program in the city.<\/p>\n

Over a couple of days, Paz said, the advocate came to her workplace to create a plan. Paz and Franky needed a safe place to stay, but in a city of over 800,000 with the highest share of LGBTQ+ residents in the country, there is no confidential shelter for queer survivors of domestic violence.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Related | No one to answer the phone: What a missing $150 million means for domestic violence services<\/a><\/p>\n

SFAWS was able to pay for a hotel that allowed her to bring her beloved Franky. Paz said that turning the lock on the door was the first time she actually began to feel safe. The advocate, now her caseworker, accompanied Paz to the police station where, she said, they waited together for over 10 hours until she was able to file a report. Paz doesn\u2019t think another organization would have let an advocate spend that much time with a single client.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI would have left an hour after waiting,\u201d Paz said. \u201cI stayed there for the entire time because I knew that I was not alone.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Paz said she didn\u2019t have to do any of what came after alone, either \u2014 filing for leave via the Family and Medical Leave Act, requesting a Section 8 housing transfer, connecting with an attorney to file for a restraining order. SFAWS was with her every step of the way.<\/p>\n

(The 19th confirmed Paz filed for a restraining order, but records show it was dismissed when law enforcement could not find her ex to serve him.)<\/p>\n

SFAWS has been helping survivors like Paz rebuild their lives for over 30 years.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Staff joke that Asian Women\u2019s Shelter\u2019s name is a misnomer \u2014 \u201cnot only Asians, not only women, not only shelter\u201d \u2014 though housing is one of its key programs. It runs tailored programs for Arab, LGBTQ+ and human trafficking survivors. SFAWS maintains a physical, five-room domestic violence shelter, and most of its housing clients receive rental assistance. Its 24\/7 crisis hotline offers support in over 40 languages and answers 1,100 calls a year. Separately, over 200 clients participate in a SFAWS program annually, and two-thirds of those are families.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"SignsSigns of support for all gender and sexual identities can be found around San Francisco Asian Women\u2019s Shelter offices.Sarahbeth Maney for The 19th<\/p>\n

But SFAWS\u2019 ability to keep helping that many people, in that many languages, with that many services, is in question. Its focus on those whose needs are unmet by other service providers \u2014\u00a0immigrants, refugees, LGBTQ+ people, underserved communities \u2014\u00a0stands squarely against the ideology of the second Trump administration.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The federal government is the single largest funder of domestic violence services<\/a>; over half of SFAWS\u2019 $5.2 million annual budget stems from federal grants. In 2025, SFAWS became one of the few domestic violence service organizations that had federal funding revoked<\/a> for no longer aligning with the priorities of the administration. That $500,000 grant was supposed to last three years, and then it just disappeared.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The termination of a single grant was just the start. One of SFAWS\u2019 largest sources of funding is in danger because of a Trump policy shift around addressing homelessness. Other federal money it had previously received to house survivors was not renewed. Sources including money from the city, which makes up about 20 percent of its budget, were becoming less reliable.\u00a0<\/p>\n

These pressures are not unique to SFAWS. The 19th has spoken to dozens of providers assisting victims of gender-based violence over the past 18 months and this year conducted a survey of California providers to better understand the impact of cuts. Organizations across the country say changes by the Trump administration<\/a> are slowly suffocating the nonprofits that make up the country\u2019s support net for victims of gender-based violence. What happened to SFAWS may soon become more commonplace: The administration is proposing a rule that would make it easier to terminate grants for political reasons<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"SignsReflections from a meeting are displayed at the SF Asian Women\u2019s Shelter office space in San Francisco, California on May 27.Sarahbeth Maney for The 19th<\/p>\n

The Trump administration is trying to restrict federally funded services for trans<\/a> and immigrant survivors. If the nonprofit loses out on grants due to these changes, SFAWS would have to lay off multiple staff members, shutter its youth violence prevention program and lose the ability to house 45 clients and their dependents. They would provide fewer people with less help.\u00a0<\/p>\n

At the same time, SFAWS\u2019 work is needed more than ever: Immigrant survivors are increasingly isolated, and some domestic violence services have removed resources for LGBTQ+ survivors<\/a> for fear of losing eligibility for federal grants. New policies <\/a>have made it harder for both populations to travel<\/a>, get medical care<\/a> and obtain housing<\/a> \u2014 all factors that can worsen violence.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Hediana Utari has worked at SFAWS for 26 years and ran its anti-trafficking program long before it received any dedicated financial support for short-term housing. When a survivor would get in touch, the now 66-year-old would call temples, mosques and churches to ask if they had space for someone to sleep.\u00a0<\/p>\n

With the grant cuts now, she said, \u201cI\u2019m afraid we\u2019re going back there again.\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

SFAWS\u2019 Arab Women\u2019s Services program was started over a decade ago to fill a gap in San Francisco\u2019s survivor support network. It has been difficult to secure dedicated program funding because Arabs are not legally considered a minority<\/a>, ruling out many opportunities for grants.<\/p>\n

SFAWS staff poured hours into a new 2024 Department of Justice application meant for broader \u201cunderserved populations,\u201d describing how the money would go toward training community leaders how to educate Arab and Muslim victims of crime about available resources. The grant included nontraditional partners, like a hair salon and mosque, and was sensitive to the opportunities of gender-divided spaces.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"JessJess Schwed, a grant writer and administrator at San Francisco Asian Women\u2019s Shelter, worked on the Department of Justice grant that was later revoked under the Trump administration.Sarahbeth Maney for The 19th<\/p>\n

Only five grants were awarded, and SFAWS basked in being one of the winners \u2014\u00a0and the promised $500,000. The program\u2019s budget was approved in February 2025, and Orchid Pusey, the executive director of SFAWS, said she had productive conversations with DOJ staff.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Then two months later, SFAWS got what Pusey called a \u201ccold, cruel\u201d email saying the grant had been terminated, effective immediately, for no longer aligning with the priorities of the administration.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The email, viewed by The 19th, said the new priorities were \u201csupporting certain law enforcement operations, combatting violent crime, protecting American children, and supporting American victims of trafficking and sexual assault, and better coordinating law enforcement efforts at all levels of government.\u201d The letter said the award \u201cdemonstrates that it no longer effectuates Department priorities.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dread washed over Pusey. SFAWS had already received about $20,000 of the grant and was waiting for a reimbursement of $44,240. The letter outlined an option to appeal the decision within 30 calendar days, which the team did. As of Tuesday, there has been no response.<\/p>\n

The DOJ did not reply to questions about which priorities the program no longer aligned with nor the appeal timeline.\u00a0<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

\"Green,Green, an advocate at San Francisco Asian Women\u2019s Shelter, helps organize a monthly support group for queer and trans people of color who have experienced intimate partner abuse.Sarahbeth Maney for The 19th<\/p>\n

The abrupt loss prompted SFAWS to examine the other federal grants it depended on.<\/p>\n

It had a $400,000 grant for culturally specific providers from the Department of Justice\u2019s Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) that was used across the organization, including to help train domestic violence advocates in language interpretation, a critical function. For many of those fleeing abuse, language access is a major barrier to getting services and public assistance. San Francisco County alone has over 149,000 low-English-proficiency speakers; SFAWS staff said <\/a>Spanish and Arabic interpreters especially are in high demand.<\/p>\n

That grant, at least, was good through 2027.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But when it came time to reapply for a $675,000 grant for housing assistance from OVW in 2025, that year\u2019s application was significantly different<\/a> from the one SFAWS filled out in 2021.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Under the Trump administration, groups were now eligible to apply only if they swore to abide by executive orders erasing mentions of transgender people<\/a> and racial diversity<\/a>. Applicants were given extra consideration if they agreed to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Many nonprofits weren\u2019t sure how to comply. Would they have to ask a woman showing up to a domestic violence shelter to prove her citizenship before offering assistance?<\/p>\n

Culturally specific domestic violence services organizations like SFAWS, which by legal definition target Asian, Black, Latinx or Native American communities, are particularly vulnerable to these new clauses. Many help survivors with all kinds of immigration statuses, and they often connect victims of crime or trafficking with legal help for U and T visas<\/a>.<\/p>\n

SFAWS ultimately decided to agree to the requirements and submit the application. SFAWS applied before a lower court blocked the requirements<\/a> after a coalition of domestic violence groups sued the administration.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur programs are designed to make sure everybody has access to safety,\u201d Pusey reasoned. Though mindful of adhering to new restrictions, staff would use the money to continue to do what they had done for decades: help those who need it. \u201cThere\u2019s no difference. It\u2019s the same. It was never like illegal discrimination against certain types of people.\u201d<\/p>\n

In fact, entities funded by the federal Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), administered by OVW, have to abide by a strict anti-discrimination statute. Providers must help survivors no matter their gender, sexuality, race, religion or ethnicity.<\/p>\n

SFAWS\u2019 OVW application for the housing assistance grant was denied last year. The DOJ did not respond to a question on why SFAWS\u2019 application was rejected. The nonprofit plans to reapply this year.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

\"MelanieMelanie Chernin works as a children\u2019s advocate at San Francisco Asian Women\u2019s Shelter, which maintains confidential housing for those fleeing abuse, often parents with children.Sarahbeth Maney for The 19th<\/p>\n

Housing is core to survivors of domestic violence moving on with their life. It\u2019s also one of the resources in highest demand and lowest supply, especially in San Francisco, where the fair market rate for a two-bedroom apartment<\/a> is $3,604 a month.<\/p>\n

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) runs the Continuum of Care program, the federal government\u2019s main way to address chronic homelessness. Counties screen providers and then apply for funds as a group; in San Francisco, that cohort includes SFAWS.<\/p>\n

SFAWS uses Continuum of Care funds to provide rental assistance so clients can live in stable housing. Housing advocates support clients while they rebuild their life after abuse, and other SFAWS funds can also cover moving costs or security deposits \u2014 things that can make relocation unaffordable for survivors.<\/p>\n

This help has been transformative for survivors like Guadalupe. The 19th interviewed her at a secure SFAWS location, where Spanish interpretation was provided over a laptop by a language advocate trained by the nonprofit. Guadalupe was interviewed by herself, without her housing case manager present, to encourage her to speak freely about her experiences. The 19th reimbursed her travel to facilitate an interview at a safe, private location and is referring to her by only her first name for security reasons.<\/p>\n

Guadalupe had been with her husband for years when, she said, he began using drugs. She said his entire personality changed, and he became physically violent. When her daughter called the police, she said, he abandoned their home, leaving Guadalupe with rent she couldn\u2019t afford on her own.\u00a0<\/p>\n

She wanted to keep her family together but options were limited. Her 14-year-old daughter could come with her to most domestic violence shelters, but her 19-year-old son and three precious cats\u00a0were harder to house.<\/p>\n

A local church group helped set Guadalupe\u2019s family up with a single room, but it wasn\u2019t sustainable. She entered the city\u2019s waitlist for more permanent help and after a year was put in touch with SFAWS. There she was introduced to an advocate who helped her find a three-bedroom apartment.\u00a0<\/p>\n

With her lease finalized, Guadalupe is looking forward to finally having space to cook again \u2014 she loves to make pupusas, and her kids love to eat them. This step represents a new start for her family, and she said her life is changing for the better.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m healing and I\u2019m focusing on moving forward, for my children and for myself,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

In addition to housing clients like Guadalupe and her family, Continuum of Care funding supports San Francisco\u2019s hotline for survivors of violence seeking housing; SFAWS triaged 126 calls last year. Money from OVW helped house 137 clients in 2025. SFAWS offers survivors additional services like therapy, but shelter isn\u2019t dependent on attendance.<\/p>\n

Now HUD wants to move away from the current model, shifting resources to emergency short-term shelter<\/a> and placing conditions, like mandatory counseling, on that aid.<\/p>\n

But no-strings-attached housing is required by VAWA<\/a>. Policy experts point to studies that show the \u201cHousing First\u201d framework<\/a>, which doesn\u2019t require people to have a job or go through substance abuse treatments to get a home, is the most effective way to address homelessness.<\/p>\n

Neither the DOJ nor HUD replied to questions on how domestic violence programs are supposed to reconcile these conflicting requirements.<\/p>\n

Advocates across the country have told The 19th that it is not realistic for a domestic violence survivor to become completely self-sufficient in just two to three months. Survivors often need to prioritize medical treatment after escaping violence. Some need to learn how to live independently and support a family \u2014 for instance, SFAWS offers classes on how to use public transportation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Bigger organizations may be more appealing to funders because they can house more people, but they don\u2019t have the language resources and community trust SFAWS does.\u00a0<\/p>\n

SFAWS staff worry that if it doesn\u2019t get HUD funds anymore, the survivors who rely on them will fall through the cracks.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Requests for help have gotten more urgent. Vanessa Lantz, 28, manages 45 clients supported by Emergency Housing Vouchers. The program was buoyed by pandemic-era HUD funds until rents got so high that it ran out of money<\/a> in 2026 instead of 2030. (San Francisco is funding current clients through this year.) Since the cost of living has grown but payment standards<\/a> haven\u2019t, Lantz said some clients let utilities lapse to use that money for essentials like food or medicine instead.<\/p>\n

Lantz also has the unfortunate job of informing callers that all the resources are taken \u2014\u00a0 subsidies, hotel vouchers, rooms at SFAWS or at any shelters in Bay Area counties. More callers than ever before brought up that they believe they could be murdered, Lantz said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re just like, \u2018I don\u2019t even know if I\u2019m going to be alive by the end of this weekend. If you\u2019re trying to work with me in the future, I think someone\u2019s gonna kill me before then.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

\"SanSan Francisco Asian Women\u2019s Shelter shares materials in multiple languages, including this booklet written in Korean that shares information about healthy relationships.Sarahbeth Maney for The 19th<\/p>\n

SFAWS\u2019 domestic violence services program tailored to LGBTQ+ survivors is the only one of its kind in San Francisco, and one of a handful in the entire country. Queer Asian Women and Trans Services (QAWTS) isn\u2019t limited to Asian survivors; Paz, a Salvadoran immigrant, received help from this program.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Green, one of the staff members who works on QAWTS, hosts a monthly support group for queer and trans survivors of color.\u00a0<\/p>\n

(The 19th is using a pseudonym for Green due to concerns about her immigration status.)<\/p>\n

Half of her clients are trans people seeking asylum from countries in Latin America, and they aren\u2019t just dealing with an abusive relationship, but an abusive system as well, Green said. She often visits clients at their homes because they are scared to go outside due to the combination of increased federal immigration enforcement and rising anti-transgender hate.<\/p>\n

\"AsianAsian Women\u2019s Shelter in San Francisco, California runs tailored programs for Arab, LGBTQ+ and human trafficking survivors as well as maintaining a physical, five-room domestic violence shelter.Sarahbeth Maney for The 19th<\/p>\n

\u201cMost of the immigrant survivors seeking asylum here, they literally don\u2019t have anyone except me,\u201d Green said. She\u2019s been supporting some clients for six years.<\/p>\n

When Green saw the executive orders on gender come down last year, she thought her time at QAWTS would be over. Pusey assured her of a commitment to serving LGBTQ+ survivors.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s kind of unique for nonprofits, because usually they will create a program when there\u2019s funding, but they created this program based on what they believe and they value,\u201d Green said. \u201cSo, regardless of funding, this program will continue because they will, in a way, make sure this program exists.\u201d<\/p>\n

Because of Green and the \u201clife-saving\u201d services provided by QAWTS, Paz is alive and thriving today. She lives in a safe apartment with \u201cmy baby, my pet, my little girl\u201d Franky, and has begun to use her voice to try to save the programs that saved her.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Last year, she spoke on the steps of San Francisco City Hall for Domestic Violence Awareness Month. This May, Paz traveled with Pusey to the state capitol to demand Gov. Gavin Newsom allocate money for victims services<\/a> in the state budget, as he has consistently done the past few years. That support has been a crucial stopgap to alleviate the cuts that started rolling out to state-administered federal victim services grants over the past few years.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The final budget included $50 million, which state coalitions say is enough to keep victim services operable for the next year. They will have to start the fight anew in 2027.\u00a0<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Shortly after she began working at SFAWS, Pusey was called to help a survivor and her two children flee an abusive situation. She helped them settle into the SFAWS emergency shelter, where the family stayed for three months before moving on.<\/p>\n

Twenty years later, that survivor came up to Pusey and said the help from SFAWS changed her life: It put her on a path not just of immediate survival, but of eventual independent homeownership, something almost inconceivable to her as a single mother in San Francisco.\u00a0<\/p>\n

She invited Pusey and other advocates over for dinner to celebrate: \u201cIt was like role reversal,\u201d Pusey said. Everyone was sent back home with bags of leftovers.<\/p>\n

Domestic violence services remain operational throughout the country. Confidential, anonymous help is available 24\/7 through the National Domestic Violence Hotline<\/a> at (1-800-799-7233<\/a>) or online<\/a>. The Network\/La Red<\/a> (617-742-4911<\/a>) and the Anti-Violence Project<\/a> (212-714-1141<\/a>) both run confidential, anonymous 24\/7 domestic violence crisis lines specifically for LGBTQ+ people.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Trump\u2019s war on \u2018gender ideology\u2019 and diversity is hurting San Francisco Asian Women\u2019s Shelter\u2019s ability to help victims\u2014many…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":418107,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[2977,7,13469,167239,100,101,103,102,104,106,105,167240],"class_list":["post-418106","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-francisco","tag-sanfrancisco","tag-california","tag-discrimination","tag-domesticviolence","tag-news","tag-san-francisco","tag-san-francisco-headlines","tag-san-francisco-news","tag-sf","tag-sf-headlines","tag-sf-news","tag-this-week-in-the-war-on-women"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/418106","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=418106"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/418106\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/418107"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=418106"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=418106"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=418106"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}