Domestic violence shelters across the country are coping with challenges associated with the partial federal government shutdown, including Turning Point of South Arkansas.
Turning Point, a domestic violence center in El Dorado, could face challenges due to the shutdown, which began Dec. 22, said Beth Goodrich, director of the Arkansas Coalition Against Domestic Violence (ACADV).
Domestic violence is any type of violence or abuse by one person against another in a domestic setting, like marriage or cohabitation. According to ACADV, domestic violence can include the use of physical and sexual violence, threats and intimidation, emotional abuse and economic deprivation.
Goodrich said most women’s shelters in Arkansas receive the bulk of their funding through the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA). Donna Beck, executive director of Turning Point, said over half of their operational budget comes from federal funds, including VOCA funds.
“What happens is [women’s shelters] receive these grants, these grants through VOCA, and these grants are administered through the state, but the state gets that money from the federal government, and so when the government shuts down the state can’t draw that reimbursement money,” Goodrich said.
Once they’ve run out of federal funding, Goodrich said, the shelters will have to operate as long as they can with cash on hand that they’ve saved; for smaller shelter programs, she said those savings could be very little.
“They can operate as long as they have cash on hand to continue operating, but if they’re a smaller program – many smaller programs operate pretty close to reimbursement-to-reimbursement,” Goodrich said.
Pending a quick resolution, Beck said, Turning Point does not have plans at this time to cut services or staff; they are currently operating as normal, she said. However, she noted that if the shutdown does not end quickly, the effects for domestic violence victims could be very negative.
“If shelter programs are forced to lay off staff and temporarily close until the shutdown is over, victims who have sought safety may feel forced into returning to abusive partners, increasing the chances they will be killed,” Beck said in an email.
Turning Point has a shelter for both male and female domestic violence victims. Victims may bring their children to the shelter with them; all the basic needs of anyone in the shelter will be met at the shelter’s expense, including transportation to school and appointments for children.
Additionally, Turning Point offers support groups and a crisis hotline. A prevention education coordinator visits local schools to teach about domestic violence and safe dating practices for middle and high school aged children. They also offer crisis interventions, safety planning, information and referrals, victim advocacy and case management.
“This shutdown affects not only the 32 domestic violence shelters in our state but also rape crisis centers, child advocacy centers, legal service employees and some law enforcement,” Beck said.
According to ACADV, Arkansas ranks in the top 10 for domestic violence homicides. Beck said that in Arkansas, from January through September 2018, 11,282 Arkansans lived in domestic violence shelters, with 3,807 of those being children. Turning Point provides safe housing for between 75 and 100 domestic violence victims each year and provides information to between 1500 and 2000 individuals who call seeking help each year.
In addition to the lapse in VOCA funding, the Violence Against Women Act has expired as a result of the shutdown. The bill was set to expire in September 2018, but was kept alive by a short-term re-authorization that extended it through Dec. 7. It was then given another short-term re-authorization, which expired as the government entered its partial shutdown.
“We worry, without a re-authorization, that just like with the government shutdown, there’s always the chance that it could be a point of contention, or an arguing point. You know, a ‘we won’t fund this if you don’t do this,’” Goodrich said. “We’re always worried about getting caught in that, and the longer we go without a re-authorization, we worry that it gets more difficult to get it going.”
Goodrich said funding for domestic violence programs could end or decline if the bill is not re-authorized. She said services for domestic violence victims could dramatically decrease, as Arkansas already has relatively few programs in that realm at current funding levels. There are only 32 domestic violence centers serving all 75 counties in Arkansas, she said.
According to reporting from NPR, some of the act’s programs may receive funding through the Department of Health and Human Services, whose fiscal 2019 funding has already been approved. However, funding from the Department of Justice is still up in the air as the shutdown debate continues.
The bill will still require re-authorization once the shutdown ends. It was last given a full re-authorization in 2013. The original Violence Against Women bill, passed in 1994, provided funding for investigating and prosecuting those who commit violent crimes against women.
Beck urged community members to reach out to their congressional representatives to ask for a quick resolution to the shutdown.
“I believe that sometimes it is easier for them to think of this as ‘not my most pressing problem’ unless we make it their most pressing problem,” Beck said. “We can do that by calling them and letting them know that the shutdown is having a negative impact on our work, and endangering the lives of victims who rely on our services for safety.”
She said any financial support from the community is welcomed, especially now that the government is shut down. She said Turning Point depends on community support. Beck said if anyone would like to offer financial support, they may send it to Turning Point’s administrative office at 900 E. First St.
For anyone who is a victim of domestic violence, Turning Point can be reached at 870-862-3672. Their 24-hour crisis hotline number is 870-862-0929. For more information on domestic violence or local resources, visit domesticpeace.com.
Caitlan Butler can be reached at 870-862-6611 or [email protected].