Findings from a 2025 National Needs Assessment of Culturally Specific Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Organizations Serving Aanhpi Communities

Background/Purpose: Community-based organizations (CBOs) serving Asian/Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities play a critical role in responding to domestic violence and sexual assault. These organizations often provide linguistically and culturally specific services that mainstream systems are not equipped to deliver. However, they operate within constrained funding environments and face growing demand for services. This study presents findings from the 2025 national needs assessment conducted by the Asian Pacific Institute on Gender-Based Violence to better understand current organizational capacity, survivor needs, and service gaps. The primary research questions guiding this study were: (1) What are the most pressing needs of survivors as identified by culturally specific CBOs? (2) To what extent are organizations able to meet these needs? and (3) What organizational and resource needs exist to strengthen the field?

Methods: This study used a cross-sectional survey design. A total of 110 respondents representing 72 unique CBOs across 27 U.S. states and Territories participated. Eligibility criteria included organizations providing culturally specific services to the populations of interest. Participants were recruited through targeted outreach via email lists, newsletters, and partner networks.

The survey included both closed- and open-ended questions covering organizational characteristics, communities served (including disaggregated subpopulations), services needed versus services provided, prevention activities, intersecting issues, organizational strengths and needs, cultural responsiveness, and training priorities. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, while qualitative responses were coded thematically to identify common patterns and contextualize findings.

Results: Findings indicate consistently high demand across core services, particularly housing/shelter (86.4%), advocacy (85.5%), transportation (80.9%), and mental health support (75.5%). However, significant gaps persist between needs and services provided, especially in childcare (59.1% need vs. 24.5% provided), employment (74.5% vs. 33.6%), and job training (55.5% vs. 28.2%). Only 14.5% of respondents reported meeting survivor needs more than adequately.

Housing, financial insecurity, and mental health were identified as top intersecting issues affecting survivors, with strong demand for affordable housing, flexible financial assistance, and culturally responsive mental health services. While 92.7% of organizations reported implementing prevention strategies, organizational capacity challenges remain. Burnout prevention and secondary trauma support were identified as critical needs by over two-thirds of respondents, alongside ongoing funding constraints.

Cultural responsiveness was a key strength, with over 90% reporting that staff reflect and understand the communities served. However, gaps remain in accessibility for individuals with disabilities and consistent availability of interpretation services.

Conclusions and Implications: The findings highlight a field that is both deeply responsive to community needs and under significant strain. Persistent gaps in childcare, economic support, and housing underscore the limitations of current funding and service models, while strong prevention engagement and community trust represent key assets to build upon.

Implications for practice include the need to expand culturally specific mental health and economic empowerment services and to invest in staff well-being. Policy implications point to the importance of flexible, multi-year funding and increased investment in housing and accessibility. Future research should examine long-term outcomes of prevention strategies and explore models for closing persistent service gaps in culturally specific contexts.