Domestic Violence spending in the Budget
In our effort to push for a budget that supported low and middle-income Virginians during this great recession, domestic violence spending was one of our three priorities. Now that the General Assembly has sent a budget to the Governor, how did domestic violence programs fare?
Members of the General Assembly passed a budget that restored funding for domestic violence services, homeless shelters (including domestic violence shelters), and child advocacy centers to the levels proposed in former Governor Kaine’s budget.
We started this session with a budget proposed by former Governor Kaine that included a 7.5% cut for domestic violence services through the Department of Social Services (VDSS), a 5% cut for Sexual Assault Crisis Centers through the Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS), an 8% cut for homeless intervention services through the Department of Housing and Community Development (DCHD), and a 10% cut to Child Advocacy Centers.
The Budget passed by the General Assembly still includes these original cuts to funding from Gov Kaine’s budget proposal, but doesn’t include any further cuts. The statewide reductions to domestic and sexual violence services will be:
- DV Funding at VDSS: $138,750 cut in 2011 & 2012;
- SV Funding at DCJS: $67,500 cut in 2011 & 2012;
- Homeless Funding at DCHD: $400,000 in 2011 & 2012;
- Child Advocacy Centers: $100,000 in 2011 & 2012.
The General Assembly did not include the marriage license fee increase in the final budget. That means no dedicated funding for children and youth services. It also means that domestic violence funding was not completely restored to its 2009 levels.
