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Positive Results of Advocacy in Virginia!!!

Thanks and Congratulations to all who helped our advocacy to protect domestic violence funding.

Members of the General Assembly of Virginia passed a budget yesterday that restored funding for domestic violence services, homeless shelters (including domestic violence shelters), and child advocacy centers to the levels proposed in former Governor Kaine’s budget.
Your message was persistent, it was clear, and it was effective!   It is a direct result of everyone’s efforts that victims of domestic violence will still have access to safe shelter and life-saving services.
Thank you to the Members of the General Assembly, especially the Budget conferees, for protecting these programs!

Now, we await Governor McDonnell’s signature!
So, here’s what it all means in dollars and cents!
We started this session with a budget proposed by former Governor Kaine that included a 7.5% cut for domestic violence services through the Department of Social Services (VDSS), a 5% cut for Sexual Assault Crisis Centers through the Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS), an 8% cut for homeless intervention services through the Department of Housing and Community Development (DCHD), and a 10% cut to Child Advocacy Centers.
The Budget passed by the General Assembly includes these original cuts to funding, but no more!  The statewide reductions to domestic and sexual violence services will be:
  • DV Funding at VDSS:  $138,750 cut in 2011 & 2012;
  • SV Funding at DCJS:  $67,500 cut in 2011 & 2012;
  • Homeless Funding at DCHD:  $400,000 in 2011 & 2012;
  • Child Advocacy Centers: $100,000 in 2011 & 2012.
We also spent time advocating for a raise in marriage license fees.  What Happened to the Budget Amendment?

The General Assembly did not include the marriage license fee increase in the final budget.
  • This is GOOD news in that our requested fee increase which was intended to expand services was not used to restore a funding cut. Therefore the Action Alliance can still ask for an increase in the fee in the future to provide expanded services, such as those for children and youth.
  • The downside is that we don’t have dedicated funding for children and youth services.  It also means that domestic violence funding was not completely restored to its 2009 levels.

Holding the domestic violence and shelter funding cuts to below 10% is a significant feat in a budget year like this. Everyone of you who made a call, wrote a letter, had a visit, spread the news, or got media attention is a part of this success!  So thank you to everyone who responded to the action alerts put out by the Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance and spoke up on behalf of Virginia’s domestic violence programs and the persons they serve.

Domestic violence services are important to everyone.  A special thank you to the following who engaged in grassroots organizing to spread the news of the domestic violence cuts and rally support for restoring funds:
  • NOW-Virginia
  • Virginia Interfaith Center
  • The Farm Team
  • Voices for Virginia’s Children
  • Virginia Organizing Project, which held a Bake Sale for the Budget.
Heartfelt thanks to Senator Mary Margaret Whipple and Delegate John O’Bannon for serving as our budget amendment patrons (and Delegate Kirk Cox for co-patroning) and to all of the Budget Conferees who supported restoring our funds.
Finally, a big thank you to the lobbyists, Gena Boyle and Claire Guthrie Gastañaga who worked tirelessly to get these funds restored (and Chris Spanos who helped explain the complicated and veiled budget process).
Now for the Next Steps and what you can do to help:

Governor: Now the budget is in the Governor’s hands – he can sign it or amend it.  Please call (804-786-2211) or e-mail via http://www.governor.virginia.gov/TheAdministration/contactGovernor.cfm and ask him to approve the budget as it includes no additional cuts to domestic violence and sexual assault programs.
Thanks again to all of our Local allies – your efforts were critical in getting this funding restored.
Re-posted (revised) from the The Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance. http://www.vsdvalliance.org
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Action Needed – Support Services for Victims of Violence

Earlier I posted a press release by the Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance detailing the proposed budgets released by the House Appropriations Committee and the Senate Finance Committee.  There are significant differences between the House and Senate proposals and we need everyone’s help to bridge the gap and protect funding for domestic violence services.
The House Appropriations Committee is recommending a budget that includes significant cuts for domestic violence services (31%).
The Senate Finance Committee is recommending a budget that minimizes cuts for domestic violence services (7.5% ) and also includes an increase in the marriage license fee to $45 to provide funding for services to children and youth.
The Action Alliance is calling on its membership and supporting community members to ask our state Senators and Delegates to support an increase in the marriage license fee to preserve the opportunity to provide services to children and youth exposed to sexual and domestic violence without sacrificing services to adults victims of domestic violence services.

Each body will be voting on their respective budgets on Thursday, and then a conference committee will be appointed to try to resolve the differences and come up with one budget.
They need to hear from you that there is a revenue source in the Senate Budget to protect funding for domestic violence services.

Following are some steps that you can take:
1. Contact your state Senator:
  • Call your state Senator, express gratitude for the Senate Finance Committee’s support of domestic violence programs, and ask him/her to support the recommended budget of the Senate Finance Committee who worked hard to protect domestic violence program funding and supported the budget amendment for children’s services.
  • Send a personal letter (it can be brief) to your Senator immediately after your call to follow-up and reiterate in writing the need for them to support the Senate Finance Committee’s proposed budget and increase in the marriage license fee.
2. Contact your state Delegate
3. Contact anyone you know who is concerned about the safety of domestic violence survivors and their children, and ask them to also contact their Senators and their Delegates.

4. Contact your local domestic violence program and ask how you can support their action steps in your community.

5. After taking action, please let us know and share with us how it went by sending an email to dhaynes@vsdvalliance.org or making a post to the 1,000 Grandmothers Campaign on facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/1000-Grandmothers-Campaign/275846239928?ref=mf
If you have any questions or concerns about this information, please free to contact the Action Alliance Co-Directors, Jeanine Beiber or Kristi VanAudenhove at directors@vsdvalliiance.org or 804-377-0335.
Thank you for your support!
Carol Olson, Governing Body Member and Executive Director of the Rappahannock Council Against Sexual Assault
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Press Release – VSDVAA

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 18, 2010

Contact:  Kristi VanAudenhove, kvanaudenhove@vsdvalliance.org, 804/377-0335

 (Richmond, Virginia) On Wednesday,  Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell, proposed severe cuts to state domestic violence programs that will end services to thousands of Virginians whose  lives depend on the shelter and services these programs provide.   Governor McDonnell asked the General Assembly to cut more than $3.5 million in funding[1] that supports domestic violence shelters and services to victims and their children across the Commonwealth.  These cuts would be in addition to across the board cuts of 10% proposed in the Governor Kaine’s introduced budget.  If adopted, Governor McDonnell’s recommendations will bring the total cuts to 50% of state funding  – which translates to an average cut of $100,000 for each community Domestic Violence Program across the Commonwealth.

Kristi VanAudenhove and Jeanine Beiber, co-directors of the Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance released the following statement in response to the Governor’s proposed cuts:

At a time when the need for domestic violence shelter and services is expanding, in part because of added economic stress on families, these programs should rank higher than rest stop convenience or overseas offices for state economic development bureaucrats. Domestic violence programs are a public safety issue and a “jobs” issue and they should be prioritized as such.

Speaking to members of the General Assembly just one month ago, Candy Phillips, Executive Director of the First Step domestic violence program in Harrisonburg said:  I implore you: please do not cut funding any further to domestic violence shelters in Virginia.  In the 15 years that I have worked at First Step I have never seen things this bad. Calls are increasing, our emergency shelter is staying full and we’re witnessing more severe acts of violence.

Individuals who cannot access shelter from violence or related services aren’t merely inconvenienced.  When asked “What would you have done if the shelter had not existed?” 22% of service recipients surveyed[2] indicated that they would have been homeless, 21% reported that they would have been compelled to return to their abusers and 10% believed that they would be dead at the hands of their abuser.

                Survey respondents said: 

 I would have been living in my car with an 18-month old worrying about my life.

I was close to ending my own life.  I felt safe here.

 Sarah Meacham, Executive Director of Avalon:  A Center for Women and Children, serving the greater Williamsburg area shared her response to these cuts:  A significant decrease in funding, like the one proposed by Governor McDonnell, will not only result in a loss of agency jobs and reduction in services available to victims who need it the most, it will force women and children to have nowhere to turn during the most difficult period in their lives.  We are experiencing a tremendous increase in demand for emergency shelter and supportive services—a 76% increase over last year alone. Our clients are real women with real children, not just budget items to be dropped.

In addition to compelling evidence that cuts to domestic violence jeopardize public safety, cuts to these programs are also a “jobs” issue.  There is a direct impact on Virginia’s economy when domestic violence services are unavailable; the inability to access services affects employee productivity, results in increased absenteeism and health care costs, and can impact the safety of workplaces.

Virginia’s long-term commitment to funding these programs is an important part of the Commonwealth’s commitment to public safety, an area the Governor protected from significant reductions.  Without the availability of shelter programs and other services, Virginia families and children face the prospect of lives in which they have no safe haven from violence, and law enforcement has no way to intervene to prevent violence before it results in injury or death. 

We urge member agencies of the Action Alliance and concerned citizens to contact their legislators as well as the Governor’s office to share their concern about this change of direction in Virginia’s commitment to public safety. 

We look forward to the opportunity to work with the Governor, with whom we have worked closely in the past as Attorney General and member of the House of Delegates, to find ways to continue to fund domestic violence programs in a manner that will alleviate the devastating  consequences that will result with the acceptance of this week’s proposals and accord these programs the budget priority they deserve.

The Virginia Sexual and Domestic Action Alliance is a not-for-profit agency representing 53 community domestic violence programs across the Commonwealth that annually provide services to more than 12,000 adults and 4,000 children.  For more information, visit the Action Alliance web-site: http://www.vsdvalliance.org.

[1] McDonnell proposes to eliminate funding that was first appropriated by the General Assembly in response to the fact that 1 out of 2 victims calling and requesting safe shelter could not be sheltered by Domestic Violence Programs because the agencies did not have space available.  The Assembly initially used federal funds to support a substantial increase in bed space—along with the crisis and support services necessary for victims and their children filling those beds.   Governor Kaine proposed replacing these federal funds with state funds – funds McDonnell now proposes to cut completely along with the needed services they provide.

 

[2] Virginia’s Domestic Violence Programs provide safety and support to thousands of victims of domestic violence each year.  In an effort to ensure quality services, in 2009 the Domestic Violence Programs implemented a statewide outcome evaluation effort supported by the Family Violence Prevention and Services office of the US Department of Health and Human Services.  697 individuals who have received shelter and services from Domestic Violence Programs have completed anonymous surveys evaluating those services.  It is a testament to the value of these services that 85% reported that as a result of the services they could live more safely.   In response to the question, “What would you have done if the shelter had not existed?” 22% indicated that they would have been homeless, 21% reported that they would have been compelled to return to their abusers and 10% believed that they would be dead at the hands of their abuser.

How you can help

There is still time to ACT to influence the outcome of the final budget.  Following are some steps that you can take:

  • Contact  Governor McDonnell and request that he restore $3.8 million to Virginia’s domestic violence programs as a public safety priority and to continue the commitment that he made to domestic violence programs as Attorney General and as a candidate for governor.  You can reach the Governor @ 804-786-2211.
  • Contact your state Senator and Delegate and request that they restore $3.8 million in the state’s budget to Virginia’s domestic violence programs.  If you do not know who your state Senator or Delegate is, go to: http://conview.state.va.us/whosmy.nsf/main?openform.  For Senator Capitol office phone numbers:  http://sov.state.va.us/SenatorDB.nsf/$$Viewtemplate+for+WMembershipHome?OpenForm

For Delegate Capitol office phone numbers: http://dela.state.va.us/dela/MemBios.nsf/MWebsiteTL?OpenView

  • Contact anyone you know who is concerned about the safety of domestic violence survivors and their children, and ask them to also contact Governor McDonnell, their Senators, and their Delegates.
  • Spread the word:  write a letter to the editor of your local paper or the Richmond Times Dispatch; post your concerns as well as these action steps on facebook, twitter, or your personal blog.
  • Contact your local domestic violence program and ask how you can support their action steps in your community.

If you have any questions or concerns about this information, please free to contact the Action Alliance Co-Directors, Jeanine Beiber or Kristi VanAudenhove at directors@vsdvalliiance.org or 804-377-0335. Thank you for your support! 

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Stop Femicide Now! Human Rights Advocate Norma Cruz

r-post

March 2- Event with distinguished Guatemalan speaker Norma Cruz visiting the Virginia Commonwealth University campus

Stop Femicide Now! Guatemalan human rights advocate Norma Cruz will be speaking at Virginia Commonwealth University on Violence Against Women in Guatemala.

The program will be held March 2, 2010 from 1:00 to 3:15 pm at the Pace Center, 700 W. Franklin St.

The event is free and open to all, no pre-registration is required.

Ms. Cruz is an internationally recognized advocate and activist for women who are victims of domestic and sexual violence, human trafficking, and illegal adoptions. She is one of eight women worldwide to receive the “Women of Courage” award from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in March 2009. Her work was born out of her personal struggle and has grown to provide legal, psychosocial, physical and political support for women survivors in a country where violence against women is prevalent and tolerated.

Sponsors: VCU Institute for Women’s Health, La Milpa: Guatemala Interest Group, Highland Support Project Club, Guatemala Human Rights Commission (GHRC), VCU School of Social Work, and the VCU Office of International Education.

The event is part of an east coast speaker’s tour hosted by the Guatemala Human Rights Commission with a goal of educating and informing a diverse audience in the U.S. on violence against women and impunity in Guatemala.

For more information visit: www.womenshealth.vcu.edu or http://www.stopfemicide.com or http://www.ghrc-usa.org Or call 827-1200 with questions

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Press Release from the VSDVAA – Red Flag Campaign

For Immediate Release

January 28, 2010

Contact: Kate McCord, Public Awareness Manager
Virginia Sexual & Domestic Violence Action Alliance
(804) 377-0335 x2119
kmccord@vsdvalliance.org
Red Flag Campaign Featured in Designing for the Greater Good; New Book Showcases Best in Cause-Related Marketing and Nonprofit Design
(Richmond, Virginia), January 28, 2010 – In an age when non-profit organizations are struggling
harder than ever to have their messages heard, the value of branding and design has become
increasingly essential to their survival. This week, a first-of-its-kind book, Designing for the Greater
Good, was released to offer readers insights into great nonprofit branding campaigns in 24 inspiring
case studies and hundreds of illustrated examples.

The Red Flag Campaign, a project of the Action Alliance in collaboration with Richmond-based Another Limited Rebellion design firm, was among the outstanding campaigns selected for inclusion in this prestigious collection.

About The Red Flag Campaign
The Red Flag Campaign (www.TheRedFlagCampaign.org) is a national public awareness campaign
designed to address dating violence and promote the prevention of dating violence on college
campuses. The Campaign is a project of the Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance,
and was created in partnership with Another Limited Rebellion, college students, college personnel,
and community victim advocates. The Campaign is funded by a generous grant from the Verizon
Foundation, along with support from the Macy’s Foundation and the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention.

About Designing for the Greater Good
Created as a comprehensive resource for designers, creative professionals, marketers, corporate
communications departments and nonprofit leaders, Designing for the Greater Good is based on
authors Peleg Top and Jonathan Cleveland’s nearly 40 years of combined experience working with
nonprofits and corporate communications departments across the country.
“After nearly a decade of studying cause marketing campaigns, I know that strong design is absolutely
critical to success,” commented David Hessekiel, president, Cause Marketing Forum. “As a unique
showcase of campaigns that stand out from the crowd, Designing for the Greater Good is a valuable
addition to the cause marketing literature. This collection of work, often created in spite of low budgets
and organizational impediments, should be an inspiration to creatives, nonprofit and corporate
marketers alike.”
“Successful design for nonprofit organizations relies on a true partnership, where the designer is
connected to the cause and the organization has accurately portrayed its culture and clientele. When
these elements come together, a powerful brand connection is made,” said author Jonathan Cleveland.

More information on Designing for the Greater Good (Harper Design, an imprint of Harper Collins) is available at http://www.designingforthegreatergood.com.

More information about The Red Flag Campaign is available at http://www.TheRedFlagCampaign.org or at 804.377.0335.

For information on how to support the Red Flag Campaign or how to get one started at your local school or college, contact the Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance at 804-377-0335.

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Speak Out!! Legislative Advocacy Day

It’s time to speak out!

Next Wednesday, January 27th, is an opportunities for you to get involved in the public policy work of the  Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance.

Legislative Advocacy Day!

Members from across the Commonwealth will come to Richmond to meet with their legislators and educate them on:

Funding for services that support children and youth who have been exposed to sexual or domestic violence (through an increase in the marriage license fee) 

All of the children that could be forced to testify against their parents if a particular bill passes

Why it is time to have a comprehensive review of Virginia’s protective order laws rather than passing many small fixes

A stalking bill that could help make it easier for offenders of stalking to be charged

One barrier to reporting for immigrant victims and witnesses of crime, and how they can help remove it

We really hope that you will get involved.  Please do and contact the Action Alliance staff to find out how you can support these issues. 

Contact the Action Alliance at:  www.vsdvalliance.org and click on “Legislative Advocacy Day January 2010 Register online” You will receive an agenda, directions and other information once you register.

We hope to see you next week!

Virginia Sexual & Domestic Violence Action Alliance Legislative Advocacy Day in Richmond, January 27, 2010! Join us in educating members of the General Assembly about sexual and domestic violence issues. Go to http://www.vsdvalliance.org to register

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Help Protect Crime Victims, Promote Community-Based Policing, and Ensure a Safer Virginia for All!

Join advocates from around Virginia on Tuesday, January 12, 2010, from 12:00pm-1:00pm, for a state-wide conference call to mobilize support for reintroduction and passage of the Victim Witness Bill (last session’s SB 1436), in the Virginia General Assembly. This critical legislation would keep police from asking victims and witnesses of domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse, and other crimes about their immigration status – bolstering trust between police and immigrant communities, and reassuring victims and witnesses that they can come forward without fear. The call, hosted by the Tahirih Justice Center, Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance (Action Alliance), and CG2 Consulting, will provide an overview of the Victim Witness Bill and discuss the many ways that advocates can get involved in this year’s campaign.

Many of you are members of the Virginia Alliance for Sensible Community Police (VA-SCOPE), and know how close our hard work came to getting the bill passed last year.

This year WE NEED YOUR HELP to spread the message and rally support! Please RSVP for the call to policy@tahirih.org by Monday, January 11, 2010.

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Virginia has a plan for Primary Prevention of Intimate Partner Violence

Our statewide sexual and domestic violence agency: The Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance (VSDVAA) with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) implemented a project on domestic violence prevention back in 2003.  This program continues and will continue past 2009.  This project, the Domestic Violence Prevention Enhancement and Leadership Through Alliances (DELTA) major role was to develop the Virginia Intimate Partner Violence Prevention Plan.  The overall goal was to create evidenced-based strategies that prevent first-time perpetration of intimate partner violence.  Goals were developed for the next 8 – 10 years with achievement by 2014.

Goal 1:  Increase the number and diversity of communities in Virginia that engage in effective programs to promote healthy relationships. This goal is to increase funding to $500,000 a year, located 50% of the projects in historically oppressed communities and increase the capacity of local communities to engage in the promotion of healthy relationships.

Goal 2: Increase the VSDVAA members commitment to achieving economic equality in Virginia. This goal will achieve the salaries of all staff to a living wage with family leave and health care benefits for partners and dependents, increase member agencies to be able to provide the same, and increase organizational commitment to address racism by 25 percent.

Goal 3:  Increase the capacity of young adults to effectively identify and respond to behaviors that may be precursors to IPV. 75% of students surveyed on 3 diverse college campuses and 75% of high school students, after the Red Flag Campaign, will demonstrate that they are more likely to intervene in behaviors that are potential precursors to intimate partner violence.

Goal 4: Increase the resources available to professionals who serve youth for building healthy relationship skills and positive racial identify for African-American youth in pre-K through elementary school. This goal is do develop a partnership with key leaders from the African-American community and develop five new tools for modeling healthy relationships; promoting media literacy related to gender, race, and violence; teaching skills for engaging in healthy relationships; providing lessons that promote positive racial identity for pre-K through elementary-school-aged African-American children.

Goal 5: Increase our understanding of perpetration of intimate partner violence. This goal is to partner with Va. Office of the Chief Medical Examiner and law enforcement leaders to structure a set of qualitative data, specific to perpetration of Intimate Partner Violence taht could be consistently collected in IPV homicide investigation and through surveillance.

This report has been originally published by the Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance.  You can request a full report by emailing info@vsdvalliance.org

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Review: Does Acknowledgement as an Assault Victim Impact Postassault Psychological Symptoms and Coping?

Caroline Clements and Richard Ogle write an interesting article in the Journal of Interpersonal Violence.  Their findings report that women who do not acknowledge  victimization report greater problems across the scope of their lives: disability, psychological problems, and reduced or impaired coping skills.  This seems so obvious, that un-acknowledgment of problems leads to greater problems.  I appreciate this article as they acknowledge the difficulty women have in identifying what is rape.  This relates to our society’s view of rape as being only from strangers and less likely from known individuals.  Yet our statistics report that most rape is from individuals known to the victims.  Our society continues to disregard the acts of coercion that are a part of rape.  This continued blatant disregard of all the ways that rape can happen directly effects the numbers of rape and intimate partner violence that happens.  Findings like Clement’s and Ogle help identify the importance of acknowledging rape and the longer term effects on psychological functioning in IPV victims, the reasons victims don’t report and methods to help encourage reporting.

Their article is significant in it’s findings and I hope people will read it and consider their findings in the service of acknowledging the realities of violence in our society and the need to address acknowledgment and prevention.

Find the article in Volume 24, number 10, October 2009 of the Journal of Interpersonal Violence

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