Funding for domestic abuse victims on the line as budget vote approaches

The Hawk Eye - 4/15/2017

April 15--Advocates for victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse have been warning legislators for months their state funding was on the line.

It now seems their fears could be realized, though not as dramatically as originally thought.

The Des Moines Register reported Wednesday Republicans have proposed cutting $1.45 million in victim assistance grants, distributed through the $559 million justice systems budget.

Rumors had been circulating in groups that worked with victims of rape and domestic violence that $3 million would be cut from the grants.

Local men and women working for organizations like the Rape Victim Advocacy Program and Domestic Violence Intervention Program have been attending legislative forums throughout the session asking lawmakers to fight for their funding.

Sarah Roe, a client advocacy services coordinator with the Domestic Violence Intervention Program, told legislators at a forum earlier this year in Fort Madison the organization had already served more than 80 Lee County families in 2017.

Domestic Violence Intervention Program president Kristie Doser approached the Lee County Board of Supervisors in January with concerns about state funding cuts, asking the board for $2,000 to help fund their work locally.

"Lee County has gone through some significant issues with domestic violence -- specifically, a homicide," Doser said. "And that has brought people out seeking services and support."

Doser said the organization spends about $45,000 annually in Lee County.

Based in Iowa City, the Domestic Violence Intervention Program has maintained an office in Keokuk for 15 years, providing services to victims of domestic violence, dating violence, stalking and human trafficking. Since receiving a $5,000 grant from the Keokuk Community Foundation, they were able to secure an apartment in Keokuk to serve as an emergency shelter for victims.

The organization provides services in seven counties, including Des Moines, Henry and Van Buren.

Doser posted on Facebook Wednesday the proposed 26 percent funding cut would result in a loss of emergency services such as their confidential hotline, shelter and trauma care for 517 women, men and children.

"We simply won't have the money to pay the people to do the services," she wrote. "And while volunteers are amazing, they can't replace staff -- domestic violence advocacy service provision is a certified process in Iowa."

Although organizations like Doser's also receive some federal funding, she said those funds must be matched by state grants in order to stay eligible. If state funding is cut, Doser said, federal money will also drop.

During a legislative forum in Mount Pleasant last month, a Henry County resident who said he had recently begun a career in social work raised the concern about potential funding cuts.

"I'll do what I can to resist any kind of reduction in that area," said Rep. Dave Heaton, R-Mount Pleasant, chairman of the Health and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee.

Sen. Rich Taylor, D-Mount Pleasant, said adding funds to the justice systems budget for domestic violence and sexual abuse victims was one of the first projects he worked on in the Iowa Legislature.

Alongside Democratic Sen. Rob Hogg of Cedar Rapids and former Burlington senator Tom Courtney, Taylor said they added about $3 million in funding several years ago for community based services to supplement money spent on shelters.

"I got to meet a lot of people that were before abused and neglected by the system and why we really needed to fund this," he said. "Actually, we found money in other budgets that really weren't being utilized."

Senate minority leader Hogg said "it's just really important to maintain that funding and that effort because, you know, it's just part of the basic public safety duties in my view."

A vote is expected early next week at the Capitol on the justice systems budget.

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