Building an Ecosystem of Support

In August 2022, FreeFrom released groundbreaking research and analysis on how race, ethnicity, sexuality, gender, and disability shape the experiences and needs of survivors of gender-based violence.  

Support Every Survivor reports first-of-its-kind data on queer, trans, Black, Indigenous, and Latinx survivors’ experiences and needs. The report looks at their finances, the harms they’ve been subjected to, their dreams and goals, and what they need to heal and thrive.

Informed by that data, Before and Beyond Crisis is a roadmap for expanding our society’s response to gender-based violence beyond short-term crisis support. Whether you are a policymaker, employer, investor, lawyer, or community member, the roadmap makes survivor-informed recommendations for how you can help build an ecosystem of support for survivors.

Key Findings

1. 92.3% of survivors report being subjected to economic abuse, of which 36.5% said got worse during COVID-19. 
2. Survivors’ financial well-being is in the bottom 10th percentile for adults in the U.S. 
3. Disabled survivors are subjected to almost 2x the types of systemic harm that survivors without a disability are subjected to. 
4. Survivors who are not cisgender reported being subjected to an average of 9.5 types of systemic harm, compared to cisgender survivors who reported an average of 6.1 types of harm. 
5. BIPOC survivors report needing support with covering the cost of food and household costs at higher rates than white survivors. 
6. Queer+ survivors, disabled survivors, and survivors who are not cisgender are more likely to report needing support with health costs. 
7. Only 38.5% of survivors would call the police in a moment of crisis or danger involving their harm-doer. When asked who they would call in a crisis, the number one response was a family member or friend (62.8%)

The Financial Insecurity Survivors Face

Everyone Has a Part to Play