Given the oppressive nature of abusive relationships, it is imperative that formalized helping organizations promote survivors’ empowerment. Since its inception, domestic violence shelter programs have trained employees to engage in survivor-centered, empowering practices. Yet, few research studies have explored how shelter contexts actually influence employee practices, and subsequently, survivor empowerment. This dissertation tests a conceptual model linking program theory, organizational culture, organizational structure, employee behavior, and survivor empowerment. A transformative, multi-level, exploratory-sequential mixed-methods design was employed to answer the research questions. This two phase methodological study was implemented in an urban domestic violence residential program. The first phase involved an inductive, exploratory thematic analysis of organizational documents and 12 semi-structured employee interviews. The second phase of the study was a deductive, quantitative analysis of 33 structured interviews with residents who received program services. Qualitative findings revealed five behavioral expectations embedded within the organizational documents. Formal policies required that employees promote survivors’ rights and support their decisions by (a) using inclusive service delivery approaches, (b) implementing the organizational philosophy, (c) creating and sustaining partnerships, (d) encouraging survivor safety, and (e) building capacities of direct service employees. These expectations were also reflected in the five organizational culture themes that arose from an analysis of the employee interviews. Specifically, employees stated the DASH was (a) highly autonomous yet (b) relational. The cultural norms also required employees engage in service provision that (c) prioritized survivors and (d) utilized the DASH model. Employees had a shared assumption that DASH was (e) distinct from all other formal helping organizations. Two structural components influenced the practice of survivor-centered, empowering service provision. First, across the organizational hierarchy, employees described (a) flexibility in the procedures of the organization, and the (b) management structure, initially designed to support advocates in providing survivor-centered care, had mixed results. A majority of employees accurately defined the organization’s principles and reported engaging in practices that were in alignment with the organizational philosophy. Quantitative results showed a small, but significant, positive association between voluntary services approaches, survivor empowerment and empowerment-related safety. Multivariate analysis revealed that the practices associated with the organizational philosophy were significantly positively associated with survivor empowerment and empowerment-related safety. In sum, results suggested that, when a philosophy is reflected and deeply embedded within the organizational context, employees report practices that are in alignment with that philosophy. Consequently, the greater use of practices that align with the organizational philosophy, the more likely clients report the organization’s intended outcomes. Study implications call for future research that integrates organizational theory to explore shelter conditions that necessitate survivor-centered, empowering practice with survivors.
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