Domestic and Sexual Violence in Virginia - Virginia Attorney General
Domestic and Sexual Violence in Virginia - Virginia Attorney General
Domestic and Sexual Violence in Virginia - Virginia Attorney General
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grant assists homeless families <strong>in</strong> shelter facilities with thecost of childcare while work<strong>in</strong>g or participat<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> aneducational or job tra<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g program. These funds are verylimited ($300,000 statewide for all homeless facilities) <strong>and</strong>are requested on an as needed basis.Virg<strong>in</strong>ia Department of SocialServices, Office of Family <strong>Violence</strong> 70Pursuant to Virg<strong>in</strong>ia Code §§ 63.2-1611 through 63.2-1615, the Virg<strong>in</strong>ia Department of Social Services (DSS)is responsible for the coord<strong>in</strong>ation <strong>and</strong> management ofdomestic violence prevention <strong>and</strong> service efforts acrossthe Commonwealth. In accomplish<strong>in</strong>g its statutory mission,the Virg<strong>in</strong>ia Department of Social Services, Officeof Family <strong>Violence</strong> (OFV), funds local public <strong>and</strong> privatenonprofit domestic violence programs that address theissue of domestic violence with<strong>in</strong> their community <strong>and</strong>provide services to all people <strong>in</strong> that community whohave experienced or been impacted by domestic violence.The OFV’s primary goals are to support local domesticviolence programs; to provide leadership <strong>and</strong> coord<strong>in</strong>ationwith<strong>in</strong> DSS on domestic violence as it relates to child <strong>and</strong>abuse <strong>and</strong> neglect <strong>and</strong> other DSS service areas; to educatelocal DSS agencies, community organizations <strong>and</strong> thegeneral public on the effects of domestic violence; <strong>and</strong>to work collaboratively with the state domestic violencecoalition <strong>and</strong> other state agencies. The OFV endeavorsto provide consistent <strong>and</strong> reliable services through localservice providers for victims <strong>and</strong> children <strong>in</strong> every localityof the Commonwealth. 71<strong>Domestic</strong> <strong>Violence</strong> Prevention <strong>and</strong> ServicesProgram - Support to <strong>Domestic</strong> <strong>Violence</strong>ProgramsIn 2007, OFV awarded approximately $6.7 million <strong>in</strong>grant fund<strong>in</strong>g to 46 local domestic violence programs<strong>and</strong> to the statewide domestic violence coalition, theVirg<strong>in</strong>ia <strong>Sexual</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Domestic</strong> <strong>Violence</strong> Action Alliance(VSDVAA). 72 In 2008, the OFV cont<strong>in</strong>ued fund<strong>in</strong>g tothese programs through 2009, award<strong>in</strong>g funds total<strong>in</strong>gapproximately $6.4 million.Through contracts with local domestic violence programs<strong>and</strong> the VSDVAA, OFV funds enable local programs toprovide an array of direct domestic violence services tovictims <strong>and</strong> their children, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g crisis hotl<strong>in</strong>e services;shelter services to victims <strong>and</strong> their children; transportationservices; translation services for limited <strong>and</strong> non-Englishspeak<strong>in</strong>g victims; services for children <strong>and</strong> youth exposedto domestic violence; legal advocacy services, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>gcourt accompaniment, explanation of legal options <strong>and</strong>referrals to attorneys; assistance with applications for socialservices; <strong>and</strong> safety plann<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> counsel<strong>in</strong>g services forvictims <strong>in</strong> crisis <strong>and</strong> noncrisis situations.In addition to fund<strong>in</strong>g local programs that provide servicesto victims <strong>and</strong> their children, through a contract with VSD-VAA, the OFV also supports the Virg<strong>in</strong>ia Family <strong>Violence</strong><strong>and</strong> <strong>Sexual</strong> Assault Hotl<strong>in</strong>e, the Virg<strong>in</strong>ia Data CollectionProject (VAdata), the provision of technical assistance forlocal programs <strong>and</strong> communities, as well as the provision oftra<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g for local domestic violence advocates.Services to ChildrenExposed to <strong>Domestic</strong> <strong>Violence</strong>Despite a reduction <strong>in</strong> overall grant fund<strong>in</strong>g to localprograms <strong>in</strong> 2008, additional fund<strong>in</strong>g from the Family<strong>Violence</strong> Prevention <strong>and</strong> Services Act (FVPSA) was usedby the Office of Family <strong>Violence</strong> to offer a one-timeopportunity for currently funded local programs to <strong>in</strong>creasetheir capacity to provide services to children <strong>and</strong> youthwho have witnessed domestic violence. Due to limiteddomestic violence fund<strong>in</strong>g, many programs were provid<strong>in</strong>gonly very basic services to children. This one-timeproject distributed $986,000 <strong>in</strong> funds that would otherwisebe returned to the United States Department of Health<strong>and</strong> Human Services. It gave programs an opportunityto creatively provide additional services to children <strong>and</strong>youth who reside <strong>in</strong> domestic violence shelters or <strong>in</strong> thecommunity. Programs are us<strong>in</strong>g the funds to obta<strong>in</strong> specifictra<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g for staff; provide a mentor<strong>in</strong>g program for children;purchase child-friendly materials for their program to use;<strong>and</strong> provide a higher level of children’s advocacy. Thediversity of the project proposals illustrated a tremendousneed for ongo<strong>in</strong>g child-specific fund<strong>in</strong>g.Public AwarenessIn an effort to <strong>in</strong>crease awareness regard<strong>in</strong>g domesticviolence issues, the OFV develops <strong>and</strong> distributes resourcematerials to local domestic violence programs, localsocial services departments, <strong>and</strong> the public. In 2008, theOFV produced a quarterly newsletter for local domesticviolence programs, as well as a separate newsletter forlocal departments of social services. Both newslettersprovided an opportunity to share valuable <strong>in</strong>formation on23