Domestic violence programs getting $1M from federal gov’t

WASHINGTON – The federal government has awarded Rhode Island more than $1 million to help fund family violence prevention providers.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families has awarded $94.5 million to 56 U.S. states and territories, as well as $13.5 million to 56 domestic violence coalitions to expand services. The funding comes through Family Violence Prevention and Services Act grants.

The state of Rhode Island as a whole will get $806,393 from the larger funding award. The R.I. Department of Human Services will be responsible for dispersing funds to the appropriate agencies, said a spokesman for the Administration for Children and Families.

DHS, a division of the R.I. Executive Office of Health and Human Services, contracts with the Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence, which in turn works with six domestic violence centers that provide local and statewide services, said Mike Raia, a spokesman for the EOHHS. The awards are annual sources of funding, Raia said.

- Advertisement -

The six member agencies include: Blackstone Valley Advocacy Center in Pawtucket; Domestic Violence Resource Center of South County in South Kingstown; Elizabeth Buffum Chace Center in Warwick; Sojourner House and Women’s Center of Rhode Island, both in Providence; and Women’s Resource Center in Newport and Warren.

In addition, from the smaller pool of federal funding, the Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence will get a separate award of $241,000.

Bill Bentley, associate commissioner of the Family and Youth Services Bureau within the Administration of Children and Families, said the federal agency is partnering with communities to identify solutions and support services to address the trauma of domestic violence.

“Domestic violence coalitions, local domestic violence programs, tribes and culturally specific community-based organizations are all an integral part of any coordinated response to domestic violence,” Bentley said.

Family Violence Prevention and Services Act formula grants are awarded to every state and territory and more than 200 Native American tribes. These funds reach almost 1,600 domestic violence shelters and more than 1,300 non-residential service sites, providing both a safe haven and an array of supportive services to intervene in and prevent abuse.

“These programs provide a lifeline to millions of women, children and men each year,” stated Marylouise Kelley, director of ACF’s Family Violence Prevention and Services Program. “Every day, survivors across the country find the courage to escape an abusive relationship.”

The Family Violence Prevention and Services Act has been in place for the past three decades.

No posts to display