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915 Chapter 5:Temporary Assistance for Domestic Violence Survivors (TA-DVS) Program • Section 8: Payments (07/2026) Note: Once payments are made, any future costs for the same thing would be considered ongoing, even if they become past due again. This does not apply to new living situations or when items have been damaged or stolen by the abuser. This is why it is important to ensure we talk to survivors about their plan to pay ongoing costs to ensure we help they plan around other resources they may need to ensure their needs are met. This should be part of safety planning and ongoing engagement if the family is working to stabilize. If rental/housing costs are above the survivor’s demonstrated ability to pay, this is not an automatic reason for denial. If the monthly housing costs are above future available income levels, a plan to address how the survivor will meet future housing costs should be discussed and documented on the ODHS 1543 or in a case note. A discussion about what the survivor is doing to make this happen should take place: • If the survivor states they plan to get a roommate, has the survivor placed ads online, posted roommate requests on bulletin boards, gotten a potential roommate lined up, etc.? • If the survivor indicates they are going to get a job, what are they doing to make this happen? Have they registered with the Employment Department, contacted temporary agencies working with the JOBS program, have a job offer pending, etc.? • If the survivor indicates they are working with housing, who are they working with? What are the time frames for accessing a housing subsidy? Whenever possible, vendors should return TA-DVS funds directly to the survivor. Once a check is issued, it is considered the property of the survivor. We often receive checks for security deposits, reimbursed when the survivor moves at the end of their lease. We should encourage landlords to return the funds to the tenant. If the local office receives a return check that was not cashed from a landlord or business entity, contact TA-DVS Policy or Business Security for directions on how to handle. Roommates When a survivor and people (18 and older) not in the filing group are moving into a new home together, the people moving with the survivor are expected to pay an equal or representative portion of the move-in costs. In rare circumstances, if the person the survivor is moving in with is unable to pay an equal portion of the move- in costs, we need to discuss what sort of agreement is being made between the survivor and roommate. If the survivor is moving in with a friend and the survivor will have two out of three bedrooms in the house, the survivor may have an agreement with their friend to pay more of the ongoing rent costs. This plan should be discussed and documented. Motels/hotels TA-DVS funds address-specific crisis situations where safety is at risk due to domestic violence. TA-DVS funds cannot be used to meet ongoing or recurrent needs such as ongoing rent and utilities. This includes ongoing use of a motel. A payment for use of a motel is intended to meet temporary safety concerns when no other suitable public or private housing is available. Consider the following when agreeing to make a motel payment: • What other housing options are available to the survivor?