House Approves Thompson Bill to Reauthorize Family Violence Prevention and Services Act October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Monday, October 1, 2018

WASHINGTON – The House of Representatives recently approved U.S. Representative Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson’s bill to reauthorize services and support for victims of domestic violence. The House approved the bill just in time for Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

H.R. 6014, the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA) of 2018, is the primary source of federal funding to support emergency shelter and related assistance for victims of domestic violence and their families. Since it was enacted in 1984, FVPSA has addressed domestic violence through community-driven solutions and a network of programs and services dedicated to responding to domestic violence across the country.

“I am pleased the House reauthorized these life-saving services for victims of domestic violence,” Rep. Thompson said. “Domestic violence has no place in American society, and this legislation is essential to ensuring we are not only standing up for victims of domestic violence but we are also doing everything in our power to stand against it. This bill ensures that when victims feel helpless they have somewhere to turn.”

The National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV) and the National Domestic Violence Hotline (The Hotline) praised the passage of the bill.

“We thank Congressman Thompson for championing H.R. 6014 and we’re grateful for his steadfast commitment to ensuring its passage,” said Kim Gandy, President and CEO of NNEDV. “When victims and their children are forced to escape from their homes, FVPSA is there for them. As the only federal funding solely dedicated to supporting survivors of domestic violence, FVPSA allows communities to provide a safe place to go and the essential services needed in the times of crisis.”

“The National Domestic Violence Hotline (The Hotline) and its dating abuse, prevention, and education project for youth, loveisrespect, is authorized through FVPSA. For more than 21 years, FVPSA has provided much of the funding that has allowed us to answer more than four million calls, texts, and chats from people affected by domestic and dating abuse,” said Katie Ray Jones, chief executive officer of The Hotline. “Millions of survivors depend on our organization for resources and support, and the successful reauthorization will ensure that we are able to continue to provide this critical support to survivors. We commend Congress for moving quickly to pass the reauthorization of the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act.”

Critical support services funded under FVPSA include:

  • Coordinating statewide improvements within local communities, social service systems, and programming regarding the prevention and intervention of domestic violence through the leadership of State Domestic Violence Coalitions and FVPSA State Administrators.
  • Supporting the National Domestic Violence Hotline, which provides crisis intervention, counseling, and safety planning and can directly connect calls to a seamless referral system of more than 4,500 community programs across the U.S. The Hotline operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and is available in 170 languages.
  • Increasing public awareness about the prevalence of domestic violence, dating violence and family violence.
  • Supporting local and community-based domestic violence programs with specialized technical assistance addressing emerging issues such as trauma-informed care, the co-occurrence of domestic violence and child maltreatment, culturally-specific domestic violence services, and effective interventions for children exposed to domestic violence.

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