A shelter for battered persons is a public or private nonprofit residential facility for battered persons and their children. If a facility also serves other individuals, a part of the facility must be set aside on a long-term basis to serve only battered persons.
This section applies only to residents of shelters certified by Department of Human Services DHS. Shelters authorized by Food and Nutrition Services FNS to accept benefits are considered certified and do not require DHS certification.
Shelters that want to apply for certification should contact:
Pennsylvania Coalition against Domestic Violence
3605 Vartan Way, Suite 101
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17110
Phone: 800-932-4632
When a shelter is certified, the CAO receives a facility certification notice (see Appendix C).
BOP does not maintain a list of shelters for battered persons that are certified by DHS. Each shelter that is certified receives a copy of the certification notice as and should be able to provide a copy to the CAO. If the CAO has a question about a specific shelter, they may contact the Pennsylvania Coalition against Domestic Violence at 800-932-4632.
Please note that some shelters are authorized by FNS. The authorized retailers in a specific location can be searched at SNAP Retailer Locator (arcgis.com).
A temporary resident of a certified shelter is considered a separate SNAP household. The resident and their children may receive an additional benefit only once a month as a separate household if they are still included in the abuser's SNAP household.
If the person is included in the abuser's household, the CAO must take prompt action to remove their children from the former household's budget. (See Chapter 570.)
A person and their children temporarily living in places other than a certified shelter may not receive an additional benefit as a separate household.
A household in a shelter is certified on the basis of its income and resources and the expenses for which it is responsible, without regard to the income resources and expenses of the former household.
Jointly owned resources are considered inaccessible if:
The resource is owned jointly with a member of the abuser’s household; and
Access to the resource requires agreement of a member of the abuser’s household.
The CAO must consider room payments to the shelter as shelter expenses.
The CAO must p rocess applications using either expedited or normal processing standards.
A person in a shelter has the same right to notices of adverse action, fair hearings, and entitlement to restored benefits as any other household.
When a person leaves a shelter, they may take any unused benefits with them.
The certification period for a person in a shelter is usually one month (or two if certified after the 15th of the month) because residents’ stays usually are brief.
Important: Since the safety of shelter residents may be at risk the CAO must not disclose the address or location of a shelter except to administrators of SNAP or other federal assistance programs.
If authorized by FNS, a shelter may accept SNAP benefits for meals provided to the resident and use the benefits to buy food from wholesalers.
If not authorized by FNS, a shelter may be an AR and use SNAP benefits at retail stores to buy food for prepared meals served to residents.
Revised September 17, 2025, replacing April 6, 2016