Shaheen Continues “Invest in NH Tour” with Visit to HAVEN During Sexual Assault Awareness Month

**Shaheen successfully secured more than $2 million in the fiscal year 2023 government funding bill to support projects at HAVEN**

Senator Shaheen visiting HAVEN in Portsmouth.

(Manchester, NH) - Today, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee and Chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee that funds the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW), continued her “Invest in NH Tour” with a visit to HAVEN, one of the NH Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence’s (NHCADSV) 12 domestic and sexual violence crisis centers, during Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Shaheen secured a $2 million award for HAVEN in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 government funding bill through the congressionally directed spending (CDS) process. These funds will be used to acquire property to house a new 13-unit emergency shelter facility and office space for their shelter, client services, training and outreach, education services and administrative staff.

“As we continue to see the lingering impact of the pandemic on survivors of domestic and sexual violence, it's crucial that local crisis centers have the resources to adequately support those in need. Access to housing is a significant barrier for survivors looking to leave abusive households and find safety,” said Senator Shaheen. “That’s why I am proud to have secured $2 million in federal funding to support HAVEN’s efforts to expand their emergency shelter and increase access to their services. I’ll continue advocating on behalf of local organizations like HAVEN to ensure they have the  tools necessary to continue their important work.”

“The CDS funding secured by Senator Shaheen is critical in allowing HAVEN to triple our shelter capacity by building a larger, 13-suite emergency shelter that is co-located with program and office space. This model will provide a welcoming environment for survivors to heal while meeting their needs for security and connection until they can safely move to independent living,” said Kathy Beebe, Executive Director, HAVEN. “The new, expanded facility, made possible by CDS funding, will meet current standards in services and provide more space for prevention and education programming. Prioritizing these programs is essential to reducing rates of domestic and sexual violence and keeping children and adults safe from abuse. We are grateful to Senator Shaheen for her support and look forward to seeing this project realized.”

“We are incredibly grateful to Senator Shaheen for her commitment to ensuring that crisis centers receive essential funding to safely house and shelter survivors fleeing abuse across the state. The lack of housing in New Hampshire is one of the primary barriers that survivors face when trying to leave an abusive home, and the scarcity of housing was only made worse by the pandemic. As our shelters continue to see an increase in the length of survivors’ stays and a growing need for short-term housing, funding opportunities to meet that need are even more critical,” said Amanda Grady Sexton, Director of Public Affairs, NHCADSV.

Through her leadership position on the Senate Appropriations Committee, Shaheen champions efforts in the Senate to boost services and programs for survivors of domestic and sexual violence. Shaheen secured the highest funding level ever for Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) programs in the FY2023 government funding law, which she has done for six consecutive years. This marked a 22 percent increase from last year’s funding level that will support training officials, rape prevention programs, processing rape kits, domestic violence hotlines, women’s shelters and transitional housing support services. In addition, the FY 2023 funding law provides $10 million to jumpstart Senator Shaheen’s Survivors’ Bill of Rights incentive grant program, which encourages states to ensure that sexual assault survivors have the same rights guaranteed to survivors under federal law, including not being charged for a medical forensic exam and being informed of results of a sexual assault evidence collection kit. The Survivors’ Bill of Rights in the States Act was also signed into law as part of the FY 2023 national defense authorization legislation.

Shaheen’s visit to HAVEN was part of her “Invest in NH” tour, which highlights important projects she secured funding to support through the FY 2023 government funding bill that was signed into law. A senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Shaheen worked to include more than $111 million for New Hampshire in the government funding law.

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