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Domestic-violence shelter asks Hickman County for funds as state support shrinks
Summary
Vanessa Davis, executive director of Women Are Safe, said state cuts reduced the organization's staff to four and asked the county to fill funding gaps so the shelter can operate and restore a court advocate position; commissioners did not make a decision at the meeting.
Vanessa Davis, executive director of Women Are Safe, told the committee the nonprofit has provided services to victims of domestic violence in Hickman County since 1987 and now relies on county support to replace reduced state funding.
Davis said the organization receives most of its money from the State of Tennessee and that recent fiscal-year cuts forced staff reductions; the shelter operates with four staff members including the director. She asked the county to consider funding to maintain the shelter's operations and to restore a court advocate position so the organization can proactively reach out to court dockets and discreetly identify victims and connect them with services.
"We do get most of our money from the state of Tennessee. That funding has been cut," Davis said. She described program work including shelter bed-nights, case management, assistance with basic needs (rides, immunizations, driver's license/GED support) and training opportunities through the Tennessee Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence. Davis said a court advocate is particularly important for outreach at court and for connecting people to services.
Commissioners thanked the organization for its work; no formal action was taken that evening. The request will be considered during upcoming budget meetings where county funding allocations will be finalized.
