Long before my day-to-day professional life involved advocating for the Violence Against Women Act – and before I even knew that VAWA existed – I believed in the importance of this bill. As a college student, I volunteered at a transitional housing program for survivors of domestic violence and their children. The women came to this program directly from emergency shelters and used their time in transitional housing to work towards safety and self-sufficiency. In working with and advocating on behalf of these women, I saw firsthand how deep and complex their needs were. In addition to healing...