Prince George’s County Domestic Violence Housing Work Group Meeting – October 27, 2026

The Domestic Violence Housing Work Group met on October 27, 2026, to continue its examination of housing for survivors of domestic violence in Prince George’s County. Led by Anya McCarva, committee director and task force coordinator, in place of Chair Miss Fisher, the group reviewed updated capacity data, prioritized housing types, and discussed next steps for policy recommendations. Participants included county agency representatives, domestic violence service providers, and community partners. Note: the transcript records a speaker saying “October 26th,” but the supplied meeting timestamp is October 27, 2026; this summary uses the supplied date.

Consent Calendar

• Quorum was confirmed with 11 members present after roll call.
• The minutes from the September meeting had been distributed in advance; no corrections were offered, and the minutes were approved as presented.

Housing Capacity Update

• Approximately 9% of the county’s housing continuum beds are dedicated to domestic violence survivors, with rapid rehousing having the highest share.
• CCSI’s Safe Passage was identified as the sole dedicated domestic violence emergency shelter; the bed count was corrected during the meeting from 44 to 43.
• The county has 486 non-domestic-violence emergency shelter beds.
• Department of Social Services data show 9 dedicated domestic violence transitional housing beds (5 at CCSI and 4 at Ladies of Hope), while HUD’s 2025 data marked 0.
• DSS data show 79 dedicated domestic violence rapid rehousing beds (House of Ruth, CCSI, and Ladies of Hope), while HUD’s 2025 data flagged only 14 House of Ruth beds.
• No dedicated domestic violence permanent supportive housing beds were identified; non-dedicated counts differed between HUD and DSS reporting.
• A new state-funded voucher program lists domestic violence survivors as a priority group.
• Informational gaps remain, including waitlist, turnaway, and time-to-placement data; hotel and motel emergency placements are not currently counted.
• A survey on demand and capacity was distributed to providers and experts; it closes on November 6, 2026.

Discussion Items

• Emergency Shelter: Michelle from CCSI cautioned that expanding shelter capacity alone will not help if survivors cannot move into affordable housing. She noted CCSI operates a no-turn-away policy using privately funded hotel and motel placements, but that hotels are not ideal for families. Dr. Denise McCain expressed concern about homeless shelters being used for domestic violence victims; David from CCSI clarified that when domestic violence is identified, survivors are not referred to non-domestic-violence homeless shelters. Tasha Jones asked about recruiting private homeowners and realtors; Michelle responded that most survivors prefer returning to their own or private space rather than sharing a home. The group generally viewed emergency shelter expansion as a lower priority than other housing types.
• Transitional Housing: Michelle reported that HUD’s most recent Notice of Funding Opportunity prioritizes transitional housing. Because of this, CCSI gave up its rapid rehousing program to apply for a new larger domestic violence transitional housing program, approximately three times the size of the current joint transitional/rapid rehousing program. She noted that HUD-funded transitional housing may carry stricter service participation requirements. The group saw this category as driven largely by federal funding changes rather than by survivor preference, with rapid rehousing considered more flexible.
• Rapid Rehousing: This emerged as the top priority for expansion. Jackie Rowe from the Sheriff’s Office supported focusing on rapid rehousing and wraparound services rather than expanding shelter capacity. Yolanda Burgess, speaking from a realtor perspective, said rapid rehousing works but inspections must be prioritized promptly for domestic violence survivors and that landlord partnerships are needed. Michelle said the key constraint is rental subsidy dollars, not a particular landlord sector, and mentioned local jurisdictions using dedicated local funds, including Dallas, Texas, and Kalamazoo County, Michigan.
• Permanent Supportive Housing: Monique Willis, deputy director of the Prince George’s County Family Justice Center, recommended prioritizing domestic violence survivors for permanent supportive housing, especially those caring for children with disabilities. A participant speaking from the criminal justice perspective said survivors sometimes want to drop charges because they have nowhere else to go. The group leaned toward recommending prioritization for domestic violence survivors in this housing type.
• Mainstream Affordable Housing: Several participants noted that the broader affordable housing shortage affects domestic violence survivors. Jackie Rowe and Yolanda Burgess said affordability is the underlying issue. A representative from the Department of Family Services emphasized that, with limited funding, the county should focus on the most significant gaps and use available data to guide decisions. The group recognized that successful exits from all other housing types depend on the availability of mainstream affordable housing.

Key Outcomes

• Rapid rehousing was identified as the top housing type for potential expansion and investment.
• The group expressed support for prioritizing domestic violence survivors in permanent supportive housing.
• Emergency shelter expansion was viewed as a lower priority, with hotel and motel placements considered an emergency, not long-term, solution.
• Transitional housing may need continued attention because of federal funding priorities, despite being less preferred from a survivor-service perspective.
• The survey on demand and capacity remains open until November 6, 2026; members were urged to complete and share it.
• The next work group topic will likely be wraparound services, with public safety and criminal justice to be explored in future sessions.
• A motion to adjourn was made and seconded, and the meeting was adjourned.