Shaheen Visits Business Resource Center in Conway to Highlight $200K Award for Infrastructure Upgrades
** Shaheen Also Visits Crisis Center in Berlin to Discuss Efforts to Boost Services & Programs for Survivors of Domestic & Sexual Violence**
(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) today visited Mt. Washington Valley Technology Village Business Resource Center in Conway following her successful push to secure $200,000 through the Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) process in annual government funding legislation to support infrastructure upgrades for the facility. This award will help the center install water, sewer, road and broadband networks to support the growth and expansion of technology for businesses in Carroll County. As a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Shaheen helped secure $69,047,000 for projects across New Hampshire through the CDS process.
“It was great to be in Conway today to see firsthand the important infrastructure updates coming to the Mt. Washington Valley Technology Village Business Resource Center. This center will soon have access to state-of-the-art facilities and business resource hubs that will support communities across Carroll County,” said Shaheen. “I helped secure this $200,000 award to empower the center to increase technology and grow as engine of local economic growth, attracting new residents and supporting the local workforce. It’s great to see this funding in action, and I’ll continue to prioritize resources that support key infrastructure updates and innovation.”
Later in the afternoon, Senator Shaheen visited the Coos County Family Health Services’ (CCFHS) Response to Domestic and Sexual Violence Crisis Center in Berlin to discuss efforts to boost services and programs for survivors of domestic and sexual violence. She and local advocates discussed the importance of the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act and how the pandemic has heightened demand for the crisis center’s services.
“COVID exacerbated rates of domestic violence and sexual assault across the country and here in New Hampshire, while also adding barriers for survivors to access services. That’s why the work of local advocates on the frontlines is so critical. Today’s discussion centered on how Congress can support their life-saving work to help survivors find safety, navigate the legal system and heal,” said Shaheen. “Ensuring New Hampshire’s domestic and sexual violence programs have the funding they need has always been a top priority for me as a senior appropriator. I’ll continue partnering with local organizations to support survivors as we work towards our collective goal of ultimately ending domestic and sexual violence.”
“CCFHS/Response Program is grateful to be funded through VAWA. Increasing services to survivors has been an impactful addition to the important work that is being done supporting survivors and their families. Increased access to mental health, housing flex funds and legal access has significantly impacted survivors in their time of crucial need. Advocates can provide emotional support but also are able to provide additional means and resources that eliminate barriers for survivors to live in healthier and safe environments,” said Deborah Haynes-Kenney, Response Program Director.
“The reauthorization of VAWA earlier this year was a necessary step towards ensuring that the law and state-wide interventions reflect the current and most pressing needs of survivors of domestic and sexual violence. We are all aware of the challenges that emerged over the last two years, resulting in an incredible need for New Hampshire’s crisis centers to pivot their outreach and resources in order to continue providing essential services to survivors. This critical need is still present today and although the core role of an advocate has not changed, the scope of their work has expanded immensely as they seek to meet the increasingly complex needs of survivors. The effort to modernize VAWA every 5 years allows our communities to effectively respond to the changing needs of survivors in the Granite State, and we are so grateful to Senator Shaheen for her leadership on VAWA and her unwavering commitment to survivors of domestic and sexual violence,” said Amanda Grady Sexton, Director of Public Affairs, NH Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence.
As Chair of the Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies (CJS) Appropriations Subcommittee which funds programs in the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW), 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. The FY 2022 government funding legislation 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. Last year, she reintroduced bipartisan legislation with Senator Grassley (R-IA) to build on her legislation that is now law, the Survivors’ Bill of Rights Act, by incentivizing states to pass legislation that guarantees the survivors rights included in the federal legislation. She also introduced bill to reauthorize legislation to expand pro bono legal resources for victims and survivors.
###
