Short answer. Yes. Section 40 of RA 9262 makes it mandatory for the DSWD and local government units to provide victims of violence against women and their children with temporary shelter, counseling, psycho-social services, recovery and rehabilitation programs, and livelihood assistance, while the DOH is separately responsible for the victims' medical assistance.
What the law says
The DSWD, and LGU's shall provide the victims temporary shelters, provide counseling, psycho-social services and /or, recovery, rehabilitation programs and livelihood assistance. The DOH shall provide medical assistance to victims
RA 9262, Section 40 — Programs And Services For Victims. Read the full provision →
A mandatory duty, not a discretionary program
Section 40 of RA 9262 is titled Mandatory Programs and Services for Victims, and its text uses the word shall: the DSWD and LGUs shall provide the victims temporary shelters, provide counseling, psycho-social services and/or, recovery, rehabilitation programs and livelihood assistance. Because the obligation is framed as mandatory, a victim of violence against women and their children is not asking these agencies for a favor when she seeks these services; the law places the duty to provide them on the government itself.
Who is responsible for what
The provision splits responsibility between two sets of agencies. The DSWD and local government units carry the bulk of it: shelter, counseling, psycho-social support, and recovery, rehabilitation, and livelihood programs. Medical assistance is handled separately: the same section states that the DOH shall provide medical assistance to victims. A victim dealing with the practical aftermath of abuse is not meant to have to work out on her own which office handles which need; the law assigns each function to a specific agency.
Where livelihood assistance fits
Livelihood assistance is listed alongside shelter, counseling, and rehabilitation rather than as a program that stands on its own. Read together, the list reflects that recovering from violence often has a practical, financial dimension: a victim who has left an abusive household may also need a way to support herself and her children going forward, not only shelter and counseling in the immediate term. The law treats that need for self-sufficiency as part of the same mandatory package of assistance, not as a separate benefit a victim has to qualify for on different terms.
What this provision does not spell out
Section 40 establishes that livelihood assistance must be provided; it does not itself set out how to apply, what documents are needed, how much assistance is given, or which specific livelihood program a particular DSWD office or LGU runs. Those operational details are set by the implementing agencies rather than stated in the law itself, so a victim seeking this assistance should raise it directly with her local DSWD office or LGU rather than expect one fixed procedure to apply everywhere.