Op-Ed | Domestic violence workers need a living wage

As both a domestic violence worker, and someone who grew up exposed to it, I know just how vulnerable it can leave you. My mother worked hard, but as a single parent raising three toddlers, she struggled to maintain stable housing and financial security. As a child, I internalized feelings of fear and shame, believing that the challenges we faced were unique to us. Those emotions began to shape my behavior — my confidence faded, my grades declined, and I started to lose hope for my future.

It wasn’t until my teacher encouraged me to see my potential and apply to Lincoln University of Pennsylvania—an HBCU—that my perspective shifted. Through my Human Services courses, I learned about systemic inequities, social welfare programs, and the power of advocacy. I realized that my family’s struggles were not isolated—we were part of a much larger universe of families who lacked equitable access to financial stability and support. After graduating, I committed myself to serving families navigating the same barriers my mother once faced. Today, I am a Program Director at New Destiny Housing, a nonprofit providing permanent housing and other services to survivors of domestic violence and their children. I use both my lived experience and professional training to bridge gaps in care and support of New York’s most vulnerable homeless populations.

For years, however, New York State has excluded domestic violence workers like me from annual budget increases. This sets a dangerous precedent for the long-term stability of services for survivors. If we want to ensure survivors have the tools and support, they need to rebuild their lives, domestic violence workers must be paid a living wage. The state must include domestic violence programs in targeted inflationary increases.

Despite being an essential part of New York’s public safety net, domestic violence services remain significantly underfunded—and the federal government’s proposed budget cuts only threaten to make matters worse. As practitioners, we face constant resource shortages and unmanageable caseloads. Our clients depend on us day in and day out, and because this work is personal for so many of us, we continue to show up fully. But when we are compensated at lower rates than our colleagues in other human service fields, our work is devalued—and our mission to end the cycle of abuse becomes harder to achieve.

Why are staff so overworked? Because New York State excludes domestic violence workers from the annual budget increase that other state-funded programs receive. This makes recruitment difficult and drives away talented professionals who might otherwise commit to this vital work. Every year, New Destiny fundraises from private donors to bridge the wage gap and pay staff a fair salary, but this is unsustainable. It should not fall on nonprofits to make up the difference; this is New York State’s responsibility. The lack of state investment harms survivors and workers alike.

The truth is that without the State paying a living wage, many essential human service workers find themselves using the same programs as the participants they serve. During the pandemic, countless case managers applied for rental assistance programs alongside their clients. I know peers who have taken second jobs as security guards or gig workers just to make ends meet. New York can and must do better.

Fortunately, there is a solution to this unacceptable disinvestment in our state’s domestic violence workforce—passing S1580/A2590, the Just Pay Bill currently before the New York State Legislature. As it stands, budget increases are available to nonprofit human service workers under agencies like the Office of Mental Health or the Office of Addiction Services and Supports. Domestic violence work, however, often falls under agencies such as the Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence, the Office of Children and Family Services, or, in New Destiny’s case, the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance. While my work and that of mental health counselors share the same goal, helping people heal from trauma, only one of these roles receives a yearly pay increase due to outdated bureaucratic barriers. S1580/A2590 would remove that red tape, ensuring pay equity follows the work, not the agency.

Domestic violence service workers play an essential role in New York’s human services ecosystem, helping thousands of survivors rebuild their lives and showing their children a world beyond their current situation. I love the work that I do, and I want to be able to do it for the rest of my career. But without fair and just pay, that will become increasingly difficult. It’s time for New York’s elected leaders to step up and pass S1580/A2590 so that people with a passion for helping others can continue this critical work—without having to worry about making rent.

Thaiasia Johnson is a social worker and program director at New Destiny Housing, an organization that provides housing and services for survivors of domestic violence and their families.