Shaheen Highlights $1.3 Million for Granite State Survivors of Domestic & Sexual Violence During DV Awareness Month

(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen, Chair of the Senate Appropriations subcommittee that funds the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) under the U.S. Department of Justice, highlighted the recent $1.3 million in grant funding from the Department of Justice (DOJ), which will provide direct support and assistance for Granite State survivors of domestic and sexual violence. Shaheen’s announcement and celebration of the funds comes during Domestic Violence Awareness Month, which is recognized during the month of October to show support for survivors and underscore the importance of investing in resources to help survivors find safety, heal and seek justice. 

"Providing vital federal resources through the Office on Violence Against Women is essential to supporting those on the ground who are assisting victims and survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. We have a highly effective network of organizations that help thousands of Granite Staters every year heal from abuse and live their lives in safety. I know this latest allocation of federal dollars to enhance their important work will make a real difference for survivors in New Hampshire,” said Senator Shaheen. “Especially during Domestic Violence Awareness Month, I want to remind leaders in New Hampshire and at the federal level that I’m here as a partner to provide the support our organizations need to deliver their necessary services. I’ll continue to make funding for Violence Against Women Act programs a top priority and will fight to increase federal support in the upcoming government funding legislation.” 

“Funding from VAWA is essential to our statewide efforts to meet the needs of survivors and to create safer communities throughout New Hampshire. Investing in essential services is one of the major ways that we can work to end domestic and sexual violence and improve the experiences of victims,” said Amanda Grady Sexton, Director of Public Affairs for the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence.  “We are grateful to Senator Shaheen for her deep commitment to survivors and for continuing to champion these issues.”  

The first grant, totaling $1,041,575, will assist New Hampshire’s Department of Justice in developing and strengthening the criminal justice system’s responses to violence against women while enhancing direct services for survivors.  The funding comes from the STOP (Services, Training, Officers, and Prosecutors) Violence Against Women Formula Grants, which are administered by OVW. 

The second grant was awarded to the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, totaling $267,469, as part of the State and Territory Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Coalitions Program.  The funding, also administered by OVW, will help state coalitions to better address the needs of survivors by expanding capacity of local programs, identifying gaps in services, and coordinating between state, local, and territorial systems. 

As Chair of the Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies (CJS) Appropriations Subcommittee, Shaheen has led efforts in the Senate to boost services and programs for survivors of domestic and sexual violence – especially through the pandemic. As a senior appropriator, Shaheen has secured the highest funding level ever for VAWA programs for five consecutive years, and this year’s proposed government funding legislation for Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 includes a 27 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. Shaheen recently celebrated the Senate’s unanimous passage of her bipartisan bill to remove the sunset date for the Pro Bono Work to Empower and Represent (POWER) Act, which was set to expire later this year after being signed into law in 2018.  

The FY 2022 government funding legislation, passed earlier this year, also included a bipartisan bill to modernize and reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act by aiding domestic violence prevention and support organizations, protecting survivors and promoting safer communities for women and families. 

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