Domestic violence groups sound alarm on funding cuts

HILLSBORO, Ore. (KOIN) — More than a dozen organizations that provide help to hundreds of people sounded the alarm Monday that services for domestic violence survivors in Oregon are about to be drastically cut.

The federal Victims of Crime Act has long provided much of the money in states for programs to help domestic abuse victims, from counseling to housing. States now expect that federal funding to be cut nearly in half.

The organizations met with US Rep. Suzanne Bonamici at the Family Peace Center in Hillsboro to talk about what to do. But they really don’t know what to do at this moment.

Representatives from the Clackamas Women’s Services, CARES Northwest and the Domestic Violence Resource Center, along with Washington County DA Kevin Barton and Bonamici, all made the case the funding cuts will cause real harm.

“We know what it was like before we had trained interviewers, before we had children’s advocates, before we had interviewers in their homes away from people who harmed them where the abuse occurred,” said CARES Northwest Executive Director Jenny Gilmore-Robinson.

“Before they’re willing to make that step to leave that abuse, and if we’re unable to provide services to escape that abuse, we’ve lost that trust and they’re going to stay put,” said Amy Babcock with the Domestic Violence Resource Center. “And we will see more people die.”

Bonamici understands the issues and the need for funding. She vowed to do what she can to keep the money coming.

“Sometimes people think there isn’t anything that’s bipartisan. There’s a bill with more than 200 bipartisan co-sponsors and I’m going to do everything I can to get that through,” Bonamici said.

A bill that would have provided more state funding never made it through the Oregon legislative that just ended.