Arianna Smith stood outside the Motel 6, holding onto her bags and wondering what to do next. A motel manager had just asked her to leave after her voucher for a 2-week stay ended. And it was raining.
“I remember the hotel manager said ‘you got to get out, I don’t care,’” said Smith.
Smith had landed at the motel after leaving an abusive living situation with roommates.
Sitting in the rain with bags of her belongings, she was approached by a man and woman, who said that they had a halfway house nearby.
She accepted, but shortly after arriving had to leave due to problems with housemates facing addiction, what Smith described as a “crack house.” It would be the first of several unstable homes where Smith would temporarily stay in her search for safety after fleeing domestic abuse.
It’s a common story for survivors trying to access a social service landscape that’s become more and more unstable due to unstable federal funding.
The county’s shelters offering services to abuse survivors like Smith face mounting confusion over how to continue operations amid the trickle-down of federal funding cuts.
“Programs have really grappled with a lot of uncertainty,” said Krista Colón, executive director of the state’s coalition of domestic violence shelters known as the California Partnership to End Domestic Violence.
The Trump administration has threatened to withhold funding from shelters if they break rules attached to federal grants, like accepting survivors regardless of immigration status or preferred pronouns.
That leaves program staff with “fear and confusion about how to navigate what can feel like shifting priorities while also holding true to the statutes that require that they serve people, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity,” Colón said.
Shelters that specifically cater to domestic violence survivors are vital for people like Smith. Emergency housing services at WisePlace saved her from a cycle of financial instability and allowed her to start to rebuild.
“I just remember thinking, ‘Oh, my God, it’s over,’’ said Smith. “Everything that I’ve been through, all this back and forth for years.”
Eileen Padberg, a longtime volunteer and board member at WisePlace, said that the nonprofit women’s shelter has lost nearly $1 million in federal funding that they attribute to Trump administration policies.
Funding OC’s Domestic Violence Shelters
California victim-services advocates are pushing for the state to put $100 million into the 2026-27 budget to backfill reduced federal Victims of Crime Act, or VOCA, funding.
The money supports services for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, child abuse and other crimes, including shelter, hotlines, counseling, legal help, forensic exams and emergency housing.
Governor Gavin Newsom’s January 2026 budget proposal did not include VOCA backfill funding, even though the state provided temporary backfills in the last two budgets – $103 million in 2024 and $100 million in 2025.
Advocates say that without another state allocation, programs may cut shelter beds, helpline hours, counseling and other direct services.
Meanwhile, the California Senate has proposed $100 million for VOCA in its budget plan, and advocates were calling on the Assembly and governor to include the same amount before the final June negotiations.
Radiant Futures, one of four federally funded domestic violence shelters in OC offering services like emergency housing, legal assistance and counseling – including Human Options, Laura’s House and Interval House – decided to shift Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI)-related expenses to private funding.
The organization said they had planned to hire a DEI consultant to assess their organizational policies and procedures under a federal grant, but decided to shift this expense to a private funding source to avoid federal funding issues.
Mark Lee, chief executive officer of Radiant Futures, said it’s unclear whether it would be considered an allowable expense.
“There’s a lot of confusion, and even our program officers at the state level didn’t have a lot of the answers to because they’re also very confused,” said Lee. “We decided that it might be the safest route to not cover it on their contracts.”
Radiant Futures relies on federal grants for around 70% of its budget. The organization has lost about $470K in federal funding due to budget cuts compared to last year, according to Lee.
Recent efforts by the Trump administration aimed at placing conditions on grant funding for shelters has made it challenging for them to navigate offering services.
A state lawsuit blocked the conditions the administration attempted to place on Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) grants that would require shelters to make those seeking their services to prove their immigration status in order to receive aid.
This protected an estimated $165 million in grant funding intended for California.
In California, VOCA funding represents about half of the grant awards for domestic violence shelter programs, according to Colón.
Another lawsuit blocked the Trump administration from enforcing the new requirements that require Departments of Health and Human Services and Housing and Urban Development grant recipients to certify they would not promote certain DEI programs on federal grants.
Other shelters are still in the midst of multi-year grant cycles and have not felt the funding cuts experienced by neighboring shelters.
“I think it’s in a lot of ways too early to tell, because of the timing in terms of our timing of the grant cycles that we’re in,” said Maricela Rios-Faust, chief executive officer of Human Options.
Human Options has a budget of just under $8 million, 60% of which is government funded according to Rios-Faust.
“We don’t know what’s coming. There’s economic uncertainty both on the local and federal level, and that really comes with a lot of people waiting to see what’s going to happen, people waiting to understand where the biggest need is,” said Rios-Faust. “I think for policymakers, when you’re making an investment in the community, it really comes down to domestic violence survivors are always in need.”
Offering Shelter Amid ICE Raids
Outside of funding uncertainties, Orange County’s domestic violence organizations say they are experiencing a chilling effect on their hotlines and further impacts to their services as communities brace for potential immigration sweeps.
“Just a few months ago, we saw a significant drop to our 24/7 hotline number and we can only pin it to the fact that people are just afraid to even pick up the phone and just call us due to widespread fear, especially among our undocumented immigrant community,” said Lee.
Human Options has also seen a reduction in calls.
“We have definitely seen a drop in calls, or a drop in individuals who are walking into our walk-in centers that are located in communities like Santa Ana, which I think speaks to some hesitation in accessing services, and the uncertainty about whether services are still available,” said Rios-Faust.
Aside from changes in traffic to their hotline, Lee noted that individuals are staying longer at their emergency shelter, with families stating that they are afraid to leave the program due to potential ICE raids.
Lee, CEO of Radiant Futures, said it’s tough to let the community know that domestic violence centers are still operating despite federal funding uncertainty and ICE raids.
“I think our voice is kind of muddled in educating our community that if you’re in an unsafe situation at home, we are still here for you. That kind of gets lost,” he said.
Rios-Faust offered similar sentiments while also grappling with an unclear future surrounding federal funding.
“The immediate need is making sure that survivors understand that there’s currently services being offered, and that for us, our priority is making sure that they’re safe and that they have a place to heal, while also keeping an eye toward the future.”
Domestic Violence Toll-Free Hotlines
If you or a loved one are in need of support, you can speak with a domestic violence specialist to discuss your options at one of these agencies.
Human Options
(877) 854-3594
Radiant Futures
(877) 531-5522
Laura’s House
(866) 498-1511
Interval House
(562) 594-4555 & (714) 891-8121
National Domestic Violence Hotline
Call (800) 799-7233
Text “START” to 88788
California Partnership to End Domestic Violence
Find domestic violence organizations in your community with this map.
Other housing shelter resources can be found on 211oc.org or by calling 2-1-1