Survivor Services in Jeopardy

PSJ staff, members, and allies worked hard during Oregon’s 2007 legislative session to increase funding for community-based programs that serve survivors of domestic and sexual violence. The legislature heard our calls for help and responded by increasing the Oregon Domestic and Sexual Violence Services Fund (ODSVS) by $2 million, bringing the total funds distributed by ODSVS to $4.5 million per biennium.

This increase to ODSVS enabled domestic and sexual violence programs to assist more survivors than ever before. But funding levels still fall far short of what is needed to provide even the basic services to survivors in need. On top of that, ODSVS is facing up to a 30% cut in the 2009-2011 Department of Justice budget.

Why Does Oregon Need Survivor Services?

Domestic and sexual violence are a widespread problem throughout Oregon. Each year, between 18 and 27 Oregonians are killed as a result of domestic violence. One in six Oregon women is the victim of rape. At least one in ten Oregon women aged 20-55 has been physically or sexually assaulted by an intimate partner in the last 5 years. More than a third of domestic violence assaults are witnessed by children. And an extensive report sponsored by the National Institute of Justice found that the rate of violence against women increases as the rate of male unemployment increases. Sadly, in this economic recession, we can expect to see higher rates of violence against women in Oregon.

But statistics don’t speak to the issues that survivors deal with after domestic or sexual violence. Surviving domestic or sexual violence changes things; survivors see themselves, the person who committed the violence, and the entire world in a different way. Most survivors feel overwhelmed, confused, isolated, and like they don’t have control over their lives. If survivors don’t have a safe place to turn for external support to build internal resources, these feelings can continue and lead to serious physical, psychological, social, and financial issues. Service providers help survivors to process the violence, make healthy decisions, and regain a sense of control over their lives.

What is ODSVS?

The Oregon Domestic and Sexual Violence Services Fund (ODSVS) is a large reason why survivors can receive professional assistance to rebuild their lives. ODSVS is the only source of general fund money that goes to community-based domestic and sexual violence assistance programs. ODSVS funds core public safety services: both prevention and response.

ODSVS supports:

• Emergency shelter and assistance;
• Counseling, support, and information referral;
• Safety planning;
• Outreach to underserved survivors; and
• Comprehensive advocacy for long-term safety. 

By providing these life-saving services, ODSVS also:

• Reduces homelessness by giving women and children fleeing abuse a safe place to turn.
• Helps keep survivors in jobs and self-supporting.
• Increases the effectiveness of substance abuse programs.
• Saves millions in medical and mental health costs.
• Increases child success in schools.

In 2006, the Department of Justice and the Department of Human Services completed an equity study of the funding needs of Oregon’s domestic and sexual violence assistance programs. They concluded that community-based domestic and sexual violence programs need $16.8 million per biennium to be able to meet survivors’ most basic needs for emergency services (shelter, hotline, and advocacy). Even when you factor in federal money, the total amount of funding that goes to assist survivors of domestic and sexual violence is half of what is needed to provide basic emergency services.

Last year’s National Census of Domestic Violence Services gives an idea of what this lack of funding looks like in real life. Each year, the National Census receives information from domestic violence programs throughout the United States about their services on one particular day. Last year, the National Census found that on September 17, 2008, 1,277 domestic violence survivors in Oregon received services from domestic violence programs. That’s 1,277 people in Oregon in just one day, and that number reflects fewer than 60% of Oregon’s domestic violence programs that responded to the survey.  Unfortunately, on that same day, there were 344 requests for services that could not be met because there wasn’t enough funding to meet everyone’s needs. Seventy-five percent of unmet requests were for safe housing. That’s 260 requests for safe housing in Oregon in one day that couldn’t be met.

What is PSJ Doing to Protect Funding?

PSJ staff, members, and allies have been working hard to protect as much ODSVS funding as possible. PSJ has been working as part of the Oregon Alliance to End Violence Against Women (Alliance), a legislative collaboration among the Attorney General’s Sexual Assault Task Force, Oregon Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, Oregon Law Center, and service providers throughout the State.

In February, the Alliance brought together over 100 service providers and survivors for a Domestic and Sexual Violence Awareness Day, where legislators heard about the importance of ODSVS from their constituents. Since then, the Alliance has held a rally on the front Capitol steps and has launched the ODSVS Postcard Campaign. The Postcard Campaign has been a great way for PSJ members to get involved.  At the time of this writing, postcards were still being collected from concerned Oregonians and will be delivered to six key members of the Ways and Means Committee in mid-May, shortly after the May Revenue Forecast is released. The Ways and Means Committee decides the funding level of every part of the budget, so it’s vitally important that they understand how important ODSVS is to so many people in need of safety and support. PSJ and the Alliance are hopeful that legislators will pay attention to the outpouring of public support for protecting ODSVS. We will continue to work hard throughout this legislative session to protect as much of ODSVS as possible.

Kerry Naughton is the director of the Crime Survivors program for Partnership for Safety and Justice.

This article originally appeared in the Spring 2009 issue of Justice Matters.