With funding from the US Office on Violence Against Women, the Urban Institute conducted a mixed-methods, multisite study on the perceptions of justice, accountability, safety, and healing held by diverse survivors of domestic violence. We interviewed 54 survivors and surveyed 37 who participated in interviews. This summary describes the people and things that contributed to survivors’ resilience as well as their hopes for the future.

WHY THIS MATTERS

Domestic violence affects millions of people and causes serious consequences for survivors and their communities. Though research offers many insights into these aspects of survivors’ experiences, what often remains at the periphery is their strength, resilience, resourcefulness, and hope in the face of adversity. Understanding the people and things that are most important for survivors’ resilience and hope can inform how we understand their journeys of recovery, healing, and justice.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

In addition to survivors’ inner strength and perseverance, a community of support played an important role in their resilience and hope for the future. Family and friends, victim service providers, support groups, and therapists provided safety, support, and meaningful resources, such as legal, financial, and housing assistance, which aided survivors’ feelings of healing, safety, and justice. In addition, survivors had several hopes and dreams for the future, including being able to spend time with family, buy property, advance their education and careers, and work toward a better DV response system. Our hope is for practitioners to use this summary to better understand survivors’ journeys and find ways to support and further strengthen survivors’ resilience.