Support the Family Violence Prevention & Services Act

Marcella attended a webinar last week during which she found out that the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act expired last fall. Right now, funding is being made available only via a "continuing resolution" contingent on Congress' attention and willingness to appropriate funds. Because the FVPSA is the primary federal funding source for domestic violence shelters, we need to make some noise to ensure funding is included in the fiscal year 2009 budget. Marcella explains:

The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) provides some funding for coordinated community responses which includes domestic violence, but the core funding for DV shelters is critical. Many states are slashing their funding to a variety of programs and this will likely include cutting funding related to helping victims of domestic violence.

Unfortunately, those who have always opposed DV shelters and other services for victims of violent crime will use our current economic crisis as an excuse to heighten their opposition to funding these programs. Their excuse is invalid. Effective prevention and effective responses to violence is less expensive than waiting until the violence escalates to the point where it cannot be ignored.

I am asking each US citizen who reads this post to contact President Obama, your 2 senators (or 1 if you live in MN) and your representative and ask them all to support the reathorization and the funding for the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act. After you contact your representatives, please ask those you know to do the same.

Helping a victim get out alive is both a better outcome and cheaper than arresting, trying and incarcerating a man for brutally murdering his wife. This is also a better outcome for children who end up losing both parents.

Contact the President here. Contact your Senators here. Contact your representative here.

Ask them to reauthorize and fund the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act.