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Wild Iris outlines services and funding gaps for victim support in Mono and Inyo counties
Summary
Wild Iris told the board it serves hundreds of domestic-violence and sexual-assault survivors annually and is stabilizing CASA through short grants and a Medicaid-billing effort; staff warned CASA funding remains fragile and transitional housing is limited.
Dominic Hayes of Wild Iris described the nonprofit's operations and funding challenges to the Mono County Board of Supervisors on Jan. 20, noting Wild Iris provides crisis intervention, supervised visitation for CPS cases and accompaniment for forensic exams that are often conducted out of county.
Hayes said Wild Iris serves roughly 300–500 people a year in the two-county area, provides emergency shelter, accompaniment for forensic exams (with some exams requiring travel to Reno) and runs one of the few transitional housing programs in the region (last year serving 10 families, 28 individuals). Hayes said Wild Iris has expanded Spanish‑speaking staff to provide 24/7 person‑to‑person services rather than relying on language lines.
On funding, Hayes said the CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) program lost a steady federal OES funding stream and is sustained by stop-gap State Victims of Crime funds and a small National CASA needs‑based grant this year. Wild Iris is pursuing Medicaid billing to stabilize CASA over the next few years and is using county contract revenue for supervised visitation to partly offset CASA needs.
Supervisors asked about the SART team and forensic capacity. Hayes said the counties coordinate SART, that counties rely on Mammoth Hospital for adult SART exams and that highly specialized pediatric exams require travel. Board members praised Wild Iris' service and urged continued collaboration and exploration of funding strategies including regional partnerships and creative revenue streams.
What happens next: Wild Iris and county staff will keep discussing potential funding and operational partnerships; the board and staff encouraged Wild Iris to return with updates as grant and Medicaid‑billing plans progress.
