Nationwide Survey Reveals Urgent Need for Increased Funding for
Domestic Violence Providers
by Karen Lewis, AODVC Liaison
On March 6, I attended a moving presentation in which the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV) released a new research report, “Domestic Violence Counts 2013: A 24-hour Census of Domestic Violence Shelters and Services,” which examined a random day, September 17, 2013, and collected information from 1,649 domestic violence programs throughout the United States from midnight to midnight on that day. It identifies needs that were met and unmet on that day and provides a snapshot of how budget cuts are affecting the staffing and resources of these organizations.
Key findings:
66,581 domestic violence victims and their children received services. More than 20,000 calls to domestic violence hotlines were answered, an average of more than 14 calls every minute.
More than 23,000 individuals were educated on domestic violence during trainings conducted by local programs. Nearly 10,000 requests from domestic violence victims (9,641) were turned down because programs did not have the resources to provide them, including requests for emergency shelter, housing, transportation, childcare and legal representation.
The majority of unmet requests (60%) were from victims who had chosen to flee their abusers, and were seeking safe emergency or transitional housing.
I personally was shocked that so many victims were turned away. “Every day in this country, victims of domestic violence are bravely reaching out for help, and it’s essential that they have somewhere safe to go,” said Kim Gandy, President and CEO of the NNEDV. “We have made so much progress toward ending violence and giving survivors avenues for safety. But continued program cuts jeopardize that progress and jeopardize the lives of victims.”
To read more, spread the word and learn how to make a difference, see this summary sheet, and this link (http://nnedv.org/news/4228-nationwide-survey-reveals-urgent-need-for-increased-funding-for-domestic-violence-service-providers.html)
Log in
Log in
