Bridging the Gap - Using Technology for Emergency Housing in Sexual Assault Programs

May 16, 2024

9:00 am – 10:30 am CST

On average, there are an estimated 460,000 people who experience sexual assault annually, according to RAINN. Survivors of sexual assault have unique housing needs. For some survivors, they may not feel safe at home due to perpetration by a household member, partner, neighbor, or stranger. This results in an immediate need for different housing options. For others, finding a safe alternative can lessen the effects of the trauma they have experienced and allow them to heal in a space unknown to their perpetrator(s). Traditionally, the shelter model has not served sexual assault survivors’ unique needs, as they often do not reach the high-risk lethality level required by tools like the danger assessment to substantiate shelter occupancy.

Safe Stays by ReloShare is a free-to-use hotel booking platform created specifically for social service providers. Through Safe Stays, sexual assault agencies can book emergency hotels with alias names, allowing for confidential, safe, and quick hotel bookings. Safe Stays by ReloShare aims to solve several barriers that sexual assault and sex trafficking survivors face, such as lack of access to emergency shelters, by allowing agencies to book reservations at any time, any day, directly from their web browser. Safe Stays allows agencies throughout the U.S. access to emergency hotels 24/7 without an ID, prior MOU, and/or credit cards for the agency and the client. With 400+ active agencies using Safe Stays and over 10,000 hotels available through our platform, we are working to create innovative solutions to some of social services' most complex issues.

This workshop will discuss how to create a hotel shelter program for sexual assault agencies, recognizing their need to provide emergency housing for their clients. We will discuss best practices and provide a live demonstration of the Safe Stays hotel booking platform.

Click here to register!

Presenter:

Mackenzie Masilon, ReLoShare

Mackenzie Masilon, MSW, is an experienced social work professional who has worked in both direct and indirect victim services since 2015 including; sexual assault hospital advocacy, sexual assault & domestic violence prevention, and policy and legislative work at the state and federal level.