Shaheen Leads NH Delegation in Announcing Over $550K to Support Survivors of Sexual Assault in NH
(Washington DC) – Today, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen – Chair of the Senate Appropriations subcommittee that funds the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) – alongside Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Representatives Annie Kuster (NH-02) and Chris Pappas (NH-01) welcomed $553,005 to provide direct support and assistance to survivors of sexual assault. This funding for New Hampshire’s Department of Justice is from the Sexual Assault Formula Grant Program (SASP), an OVW grant program that supports rape crisis centers and organizations that provide services, intervention and additional assistance to victims of sexual violence.
“Survivors of sexual violence deserve every support possible to find safety, heal from their trauma and lead healthy lives. As chair of the subcommittee that oversees OVW, I’ve long pushed to boost funding and resources to ensure survivors of sexual violence have the support they need – from access to medical care, to crisis intervention, counseling and more. This funding is more vital than ever as the pandemic exacerbated the scourge of sexual assault across the country,” said Senator Shaheen. “I’m thrilled to see these federal dollars headed to New Hampshire to help support survivors, and I’ll continue fighting to deliver for Granite Staters.”
“Survivors of sexual assault can face immense challenges after their trauma and for years to come, and it is necessary that we provide them with the resources that they need to move forward,” said Senator Hassan. “This funding will help Granite State survivors of sexual assault receive support from trained medical professionals, from counseling to crisis intervention. I will continue to advocate for this type of critical support for survivors of sexual assault.”
“This federal funding for direct support and assistance to survivors of sexual violence will help to ensure Granite Staters have crucial resources necessary to heal and move forward,” said Representative Kuster, founder and co-chair of the Bipartisan Task Force to End Sexual Violence. “I have been proud to work across the aisle with my Task Force colleagues to identify and implement solutions to prevent sexual violence and assault, as well as support survivors through access to medical care, housing, mental health services, and more. I’m glad to that these funds are headed to our state, and I will continue working to ensure survivors of sexual violence in New Hampshire and across the country have the support they need.”
“It’s critical that survivors of sexual assault can access the life-saving services that they need,” said Representative Pappas. “This grant will deliver vital resources to our state to support survivors by strengthening health care resources, counseling services and prevention programs, and providing our health care workers with the tools they need. I remain committed to standing with survivors and working together to end sexual violence.”
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) 23 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 22 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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