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Survivors and advocates urge board to restore proposed cuts to domestic-violence and trafficking safety-net services
Summary
Dozens of survivors, program directors and nonprofit leaders urged supervisors to reject a proposed $2.5 million cut to gender-based violence safety-net services and to preserve emergency shelter, hoteling and advocacy funds.
Multiple survivors, advocacy organizations and county contractors told the Board of Supervisors Monday that a proposed $2.5 million reduction to gender-based-violence and human-trafficking safety-net contracts would directly affect emergency shelter, hotel stays, 24-hour crisis lines, legal advocacy and long-term support.
Speakers included representatives from Community Solutions, Nextdoor Solutions to Domestic Violence, the YWCA, Mitri, the Domestic Violence Advocacy Consortium (DVAC) and county-based confidential advocates. They described recent and year-to-date hotelings, numbers of survivors served and increases in requests for assistance. Community Solutions staff said in the current fiscal year they have already provided dozens of hotel stays and served more than a hundred trafficking survivors.
Advocates said the proposed reduction would disrupt coordinated response systems, weaken partnerships with law enforcement and schools and reduce lifesaving services such as trauma-informed counseling and emergency shelter. Several survivors described receiving confidential, trauma-informed supports that they said were essential to safety and recovery.
Deputy county executives and budget staff said the recommended budget preserves baseline funding for crisis centers and proposes targeted augmentations in some areas, but that one-time county resources that have supported some services in recent years could not be sustained at the same level in the recommended budget. Staff said they will continue to work with DVAC and providers to identify priorities and possible alternative funding approaches.
Supervisors and advocates asked for follow-up meetings and an impact statement; DVAC representatives said they would provide additional materials for the record.
