Homeless Equity for Left Behind Populations (HELP) Act

The HELP Act aims to reduce homelessness among domestic violence survivors, their children, and unaccompanied women. This dashboard provides data and insights to guide planning, track progress, and address disparities.

Background

In 2024, more than 74,000 domestic violence survivors, 24,000 children of survivors, and 98,000 unaccompanied women (women not accompanied by children) accessed homelessness services in California. These numbers reflect the significant number of people facing the challenges of violence and housing insecurity every day.

As a call to action, California passed the Homeless Equity for Left Behind Populations (HELP) Act. This law ensures that the state's response to homelessness addresses the specific needs of domestic violence survivors, their children, and unaccompanied women.

Under the HELP Act, the California Interagency Council on Homelessness (Cal ICH) is charged with tracking progress toward preventing and ending homelessness for these groups. Local governments are also required to include them in their homelessness planning.

When applying for Round 6 of the Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention (HHAP) Grant Program, communities were required to engage directly with survivors as part of developing their Regionally Coordinated Homelessness Action Plans.

The charts in this dashboard show how California is moving forward on these goals—and provide tools that communities can use to build more inclusive, effective homelessness plans.

Overview of HELP Act Goals

The HELP Act outlines key goals to ensure California is making real progress in ending homelessness for domestic violence survivors, their children, and unaccompanied women:

1. Measurably decrease the number of people in these groups experiencing homelessness across the state (Goal 1)
2. Decrease the duration and frequency of their experiences of homelessness (Goals 2a and 2b)
3. Decrease barriers to services through promoting cross-systems partnerships to expedite access to services, including social services, domestic violence services, regional center services, housing services, and mental health services (Goal 3)

Through listening sessions and stakeholder input, additional goals were identified to guide California's efforts:

1. Increase the percentage of people in these groups exiting to permanent housing (Goal 4)
2. Increase the percentage of people in these groups moving into shelter or housing after experiencing unsheltered homelessness (Goal 5)

Cal ICH will continue to refine these goals and how progress is measured, in partnership with people with lived experience, service providers, and community leaders across California.

About the Data

The charts in this dashboard use data from California's Homeless Data Integration System (HDIS). HDIS brings together information entered by service providers in California's 44 Continuums of Care (CoCs) into their local Homeless Management Information Systems (HMIS). This data reflects the experiences of people who accessed homelessness or housing services through providers that participate in HMIS.

However, the data does not capture everyone experiencing homelessness. For example, it does not include:

• People who receive services from providers that do not use HMIS, including all federally recognized Tribes, who are not required to report in HMIS.
• People who receive services only through a Victim Service Provider (VSP). By law, VSPs are prohibited from entering client-level data into HMIS to protect survivors' privacy. Supporting information on people accessing services provided by VSPs in California is referenced in the “Goal 1” section and included at the bottom of this page.

For more details, see the HELP Act Data Glossary and Guide, Section I. D Limitations and Section II. A HDIS Overview.

While the charts in this dashboard don't capture every person experiencing homelessness, they reflect the minimum number of people in each population who accessed homelessness services each year.

Goal 1: Reducing the Number of People Experiencing Homelessness

This chart shows the number of domestic violence survivors, their children, and unaccompanied women who accessed homelessness services each year—alongside the total number of people accessing services.

Since the data excludes people who only access services provided by VSPs or who don't access services at all, the chart likely underestimates the true number of people experiencing homelessness in these groups.

An increase in the number of people accessing services may reflect more available services, stronger outreach efforts, or growing need in our communities. From 2020 to 2024, the number of domestic violence survivors, their children, and unaccompanied women accessing services grew more rapidly than the overall number of people accessing homelessness services.

Many domestic violence survivors access services through VSPs. Domestic violence survivors who only access services provided by VSPs, and do not access any services provided by non-VSPs, are not included in the charts in this dashboard. This is because in an effort to protect the safety of domestic violence survivors, the federal Violence Against Women Act and Family Violence Prevention and Services Act prohibit VSPs from entering data about people accessing these services in HMIS.

Additional information about the numbers of domestic violence survivors who have accessed services in VSPs that receive funding through programs administered by the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services can be found at the bottom of this page.

Goal 2a: Decreasing the Duration of Homelessness

This chart shows the average number of days that domestic violence survivors, their children, and unaccompanied women access services before they exit homelessness to permanent housing —alongside the average for all people experiencing homelessness. When this number goes down, it means people are, on average, accessing services for a shorter amount of time before exiting homelessness.

In 2024, people in each of these groups were able to move into permanent housing faster than in the previous three years—an encouraging sign of progress.

Goal 2b: Reducing the Frequency of Homelessness

This chart shows the percentage of domestic violence survivors, their children, and unaccompanied women who returned to homelessness services within six months of exiting to permanent housing —alongside the rate for all people that return to homelessness services.

It's important to note that not all returns are captured here—someone who experiences homelessness again but doesn't access services won't be reflected in the data. In some cases, especially for survivors fleeing danger, returning to homelessness services may actually reflect a step toward safety, even if housing stability has been disrupted.

The data shows that in 2024, a higher percentage of survivors, their children, and unaccompanied women returned to homelessness services compared to the previous year. It also shows that unaccompanied women and domestic violence survivors return to services at higher rates than the general population.

Goal 3: Improving Cross-System Partnerships and Reducing Barriers to Services

Through extensive engagement with people with lived experience, service providers, Tribal partners, state and local agencies, and other experts and advocates, Cal ICH has gained a deeper understanding of the barriers that many domestic violence survivors, their children, and unaccompanied women face when trying to access services or exit homelessness.

Common challenges include:

• Not knowing what services are available or how to access them
• Unsafe or unwelcoming shelter and service environments
• A lack of supportive or wrap-around services
• Burdensome documentation requirements

Stakeholders also shared examples of what works—strategies that have helped improve outcomes. These include:

• Creating agreements to connect people with services as they exit other systems (like hospitals or correctional facilities)
• Streamlining intake and referral processes between agencies and community organizations
• Cross-training providers in trauma-informed care to better serve those with complex needs

Cal ICH will continue to gather input and develop resources and technical assistance to help communities reduce barriers and strengthen cross-system partnerships. These materials will be posted here in the coming months.

Goal 4: Increasing Exits to Permanent Housing

This goal aligns with Goal 2 of California's Action Plan for Preventing and Ending Homelessness: Help more people move into housing.

This chart shows the percentage of domestic violence survivors, their children, and unaccompanied women who exited homelessness services into permanent housing—alongside the percentage for all people experiencing homelessness.

According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), permanent housing includes options such as permanent supportive housing, rapid rehousing, living with family long-term, or renting or owning a home, with or without a housing subsidy.

Helping people move into permanent housing is a critical outcome—both for people rebuilding their lives and for communities working to end homelessness.

From 2020 to 2024:

• This goal has remained fairly stable for all groups but showed a decline in the most recent year.
• Children of survivors had the highest exit rate, averaging 33%.
• Domestic violence survivors and unaccompanied women exited to permanent housing at slightly lower rates—16% and 15%, respectively—compared to 19% for all people accessing services.

All of these rates remain well below California's statewide goal of achieving 60% exits to permanent housing by 2028, highlighting the need for continued investment and cross-system coordination.

While the percentage of people exiting to permanent housing is a valuable indicator of how well the system is connecting people to housing, it’s important to understand its limitations.

No type of housing can be guaranteed to be truly permanent for every person. What feels stable and lasting for one person may not be safe or sustainable for another. For example, stakeholders emphasized that for domestic violence survivors, the category “living with family” could mean a safe return to supportive relatives—or, in some cases, a return to a harmful or unsafe situation.

The data in HDIS does not capture whether a housing destination is safe, only that it meets the federal definition of permanent housing. As we interpret these results, it’s important to keep in mind the real-life complexity behind each data point.

Goal 5: Increasing Exits from Unsheltered Homelessness to Sheltered Locations

This goal aligns with Goal 1 of California’s Action Plan for Preventing and Ending Homelessness: Help more people leave unsheltered homelessness.

This chart shows the percentage of people experiencing unsheltered homelessness who moved into sheltered or permanent housing, including emergency shelter, transitional housing, or permanent housing —alongside the percentage for all people experiencing homelessness.

Between 2020 and 2024, the percentages for domestic violence survivors, their children, and unaccompanied women were generally similar to the statewide average for all people experiencing unsheltered homelessness—ranging between 37% and 51%.

One exception was in 2020, when 58% of children of survivors moved into shelter or housing—higher than in other years.

These numbers mean that in every year shown, fewer than 5 in 10 people experiencing unsheltered homelessness—including domestic violence survivors, their children, and unaccompanied women—moved into shelter or housing within the year.

California's Action Plan goal is for at least 70% (7 out of 10) of people experiencing unsheltered homelessness to move into shelter or housing—highlighting the need for continued effort to expand access and improve system responsiveness.

It's important to keep in mind that this goal only includes people experiencing unsheltered homelessness who also interact with homelessness services through providers that participate in HMIS. Some people who experience unsheltered homelessness may never connect with the homelessness response system at all—and are therefore not reflected in this data.

As a result, the true percentage of people moving into shelter or housing is likely lower than what's shown in the chart.

Still, if this percentage increases over time, it likely signals that barriers to accessing shelter are being reduced and more people are finding a pathway to safety and stability.

Populations Served by the HELP Act in More Detail

Below are interactive charts that show more detailed progress toward the HELP Act goals. The charts are organized by the three populations named in the law: domestic violence survivors, their children, and unaccompanied women.

For each population, the data is broken down by race/ethnicity, gender, age, and whether a person is actively fleeing domestic violence. Additional detail is included where relevant:

• For domestic violence survivors and their children, data is also shown by household type (adults only, adults with children, or children only).
• For unaccompanied women, charts include household size to better reflect their housing needs.

These breakdowns help highlight disparities within each population and can support more targeted, equitable strategies to reduce homelessness.

Racial/Ethnic Disparities and Goal 1

Racial/ethnic inequities and homelessness are inextricably linked. The number of people experiencing homelessness does not mirror the racial makeup of the state's general population.

For example, Black or African American people in California are overrepresented in homelessness, representing 7% of the state's population but 29% of those who accessed homelessness services while experiencing homelessness in 2023.

The share of Black or African American people experiencing homelessness as well as the share American Indian, Alaska Native, or Indigenous people experiencing homelessness was five times greater than their respective share of the state's overall population according to the Point–in–Time (PIT) count. Tribal consultation conducted in 2024 revealed that California Tribal Communities are experiencing homelessness at rates of up to 40%. It's important to keep in mind that the PIT data counts all people experiencing homelessness, while the HDIS data on this dashboard only includes people experiencing homelessness who accessed services.

California is committed to tackling racial disparities in homelessness through the implementation of Cal ICH's Action Plan for Preventing and Ending Homelessness in California. Cal ICH counts people in every race and ethnicity category with which they identify, whether they identify as one race or ethnicity alone, or in combination with another race or ethnicity. To learn more about this approach, see Cal ICH's Race & Ethnicity Fact Sheet.

Racial/Ethnic Disparities Amongst Domestic Violence Survivors

HDIS does not contain data about the prevalence of domestic violence among racial and ethnic groups, but other research has documented higher rates of domestic violence among African American, American Indian or Alaskan Native, and multiracial women compared with white women.

One study documented that while domestic violence is not specific to any gender identity or race/ethnicity, American Indian and Alaska Native girls and women experience the highest rates of domestic violence and abuse in the United States. This study also found that American Indian or Alaska Native women experiencing violence are more likely to be physically injured and less likely to have access to needed services than white women.

Disruptions of Tribal ways of life, traditions, relationships, and kinship systems by colonization, as well as traumatization through continued laws and policies, contribute to the higher rates of violence against American Indian and Alaska Native women.

Structural racism and disparities can impose barriers to seeking and receiving services in the homelessness response system, or to identifying as a survivor when accessing services. For example, distrust of first responders, social pressures, and fear of community retribution may make a survivor less likely to report domestic violence.

Additionally, poverty may make it more challenging for survivors to leave an abusive partner. On tribal lands specifically, it may be infeasible for a survivor to report or leave an abuser without losing connections to the rest of the tribal community. These barriers mean that survivors in marginalized communities are likely underrepresented in the data in HDIS.

Domestic Violence Survivors

Domestic violence is a key cause of homelessness in California for about 1 in 5 women experiencing homelessness. Unsafe conditions during experiences of homelessness put all people at a higher risk for interpersonal violence once they become unhoused.

Domestic violence survivors include people who may have experienced violence very recently, or earlier in their life, or anywhere in between. Even if an experience of domestic violence occurred long before homelessness, survivors may continue to experience long-term physical, financial, and emotional impacts, and have distinct needs related to those impacts.

The charts below allow users to learn more about the outcomes for survivors of domestic violence experiencing homelessness in California. Select the “Details” button below to view the data by race and ethnicity, gender, age, household type, or fleeing domestic violence status.

Children of Domestic Violence Survivors

In 2024, 7% of all people accessing services while experiencing homelessness were children of domestic violence survivors, and 18% of all adult survivors experiencing homelessness were accompanied by children. However, children often experience homelessness in ways that aren’t counted in this data. For example, they may live in overcrowded conditions with a different household, or sleep on a friend’s couch, and be separated from their parent who is accessing homelessness services.

The charts below allow users to learn more about the outcomes for children of domestic violence survivors experiencing homelessness in California. Select the “Details” button below to view the data by race and ethnicity, gender, age, or household type.

Unaccompanied Women

The HELP Act definition of women includes anyone at least 18 years old who reported woman as their gender, even if in combination with another gender, and defines unaccompanied women as women not accompanied by children. Among all unaccompanied women who have accessed services in California over recent years, 1% are transgender and/or non-binary (TGNC).

While unaccompanied women are enrolled in services without children, they may have children who they do not currently live with, sometimes for reasons related to homelessness. One recent study found that almost 25% (or 1 in 4) of women experiencing homelessness in California had voluntarily given up primary caretaking responsibilities due to housing instability or homelessness at some point in their lives. Another study of unaccompanied women found that over half (1 in 2 women) had children (including minors and adults).

The charts below allow users to learn more about the outcomes for unaccompanied women experiencing homelessness in California. Select the "Details" button below to view the data by race and ethnicity, gender, age, or household size, or fleeing domestic violence status.

Data on People Accessing Services through Victim Service Providers

The table below provides data about the numbers of domestic violence survivors who have accessed services from VSPs that receive funding through programs administered by the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. While people are accessing these programs to address their housing challenges, these programs do not exclusively serve people who are experiencing homelessness. A “-“ in a cell indicates that the program was not operating in that year.

Note: The numbers in this table are not de-duplicated, meaning that a person can be counted multiple times within the table. Therefore, the numbers in this table cannot be added together, and they cannot be added to the numbers of people that are counted in the rest of the charts on this dashboard. If a person accesses services from VSPs that receive funding through multiple programs, that person would be counted in the total number of people for each relevant program. If a person accesses services from a VSP and from a non-VSPs that reports to the local HMIS, that person is counted in both this table and in other charts in this dashboard. Additionally, if a person accesses services from 2 or more VSPs that receive funding through the same program, that person is counted 2 or more times for that program.

For more information about how HDIS was built, for the release notes, or to submit an inquiry, check out HDIS Development and Inquiries

Cal ICH will make the data available for download from the California Open Data Portal

Are you experiencing homelessness and need assistance? Check out Continuum of Care Points of Contact.

If you have questions, please contact HDIS@bcsh.ca.gov.

HDIS is administered by the California Interagency Council on Homelessness, which is housed within the Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency (BCSH).