During NYSCADV’s first ever Virtual Legislative Day of Action, Domestic Violence Advocates Across New York State Call on Legislators to Invest in
Domestic Violence Services
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Tuesday, May 12th, 2020 is
NYSCADV's Virtual Legislative Day of Action (VLDA)
!
Domestic violence victim advocates, survivors, allies and community members from across the state are joining together to send a resounding message to state lawmakers: Legislators must allocate emergency funding for New York’s domestic violence agencies who are struggling to provide critical services to domestic violence victims during the COVID-19 Pandemic. This call to action was part of the New York State Coalition Against Domestic Violence’s (NYSCADV’s) Virtual Legislative Day of Action, held remotely at locations around New York State.
According to the Domestic Violence Counts nationwide survey performed each year by the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV),
New York State has one of the highest demands for domestic violence services in the country.
On one day alone in 2019, in NYS,
nearly 6,000 victims of domestic violence received services
. On that same day,
nearly 800 requests for domestic violence services went unmet in New York because of critical funding and staffing shortages.
Even before the COVID-19 Pandemic hit,
funding for domestic violence services was not sufficient to keep up with DV victims’ needs
. That’s because New York’s method for dispersing funding to DV agencies is antiquated, having been established more than 30 years ago when most DV victims sought emergency shelter. Today, on the other hand, more and more DV survivors want to stay in their homes, or with family or friends, while they obtain non-residential DV services such as counseling, legal services, child care, housing assistance, etc. New York’s funding model must evolve in light of this new reality.
The pitfalls of the existing funding model have become painfully clear during the current COVID-19 Pandemic. As frontline essential workers, New York’s DV advocates transitioned quickly to remote advocacy services. Significant resources were re-directed for the purchase of personal protective equipment for staff and shelter residents, cleaning supplies, paper goods, non-communal food service provision, computers, phones, remote technologies, etc. But because fewer DV victims are seeking emergency shelter, and because some shelter beds must remain open to comply with social distancing protocols, DV agencies are receiving less funding than before the Pandemic. Furthermore, many DV programs have had to cancel significant fundraising events and donor activities which, for some programs,
dramatically supplements available government funding.
NYSCADV urges the New York State Legislature to allocate significant state-originating dollars to:
- Ensure DV victims continue to receive the assistance they need to stay safe and protect their families;
- Enhance remote and mobile advocacy DV services;
- Enable DV agencies to provide economic stability grants to DV victims based on their individualized needs; and
- Assure DV agencies have the financial means to purchase personal protective equipment, cleaning supplies, food services and remote technologies so DV victims can continue to obtain critical services during this crisis.
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NATIONAL MENTAL HEALTH MONTH
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May is National Mental Health Month. Everyone faces challenges in life that can impact their mental health. In fact, 1 in 5 people will experience a mental illness during their lifetime. However, as a result of the pandemic, people may be facing more challenges than ever before. Social distancing and isolation have been affecting people's mental health and well-being. Which is why people need to be connected more than ever. For more information and resources to support people during this difficult time please visit
Mental Health America
and the
National Alliance on Mental Illness
.
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MISSING & MURDERED INDIGENOUS WOMEN
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May 5th is the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Native Women and Girls. We pause to honor all Native women and girls, past and present, who suffered and died as a result of violence. Federal statistics report the murder rate of American Indian women on some reservations is more than ten times the national average. Domestic violence, sexual assault, and sex trafficking are the causes of many of these disappearances and murders. To learn more about how you can support indigenous women, especially during this time of crisis, please visit
Resources in Response to the Coronavirus (COVID-19).
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ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH
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May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, a time to celebrate the diversity of our AAPI communities. At the same time, the impact of COVID-19 has led to the recent rise in anti-Asian racism and anti-immigrant sentiment and the impact this has had on survivors, organizations, and small businesses already feeling the immediate strain of the pandemic. As activists across the country rise up to push back against the scapegoating, we are reminded of Grace Lee Boggs' wisdom: "You don't choose the times you live in, but you do choose who you want to be. And you do choose how you think." In support and solidarity, join the API-GBV We Stand Together, Not Apart Twitter Chat on May 21st, for more information click
here.
For additional information and resources on how to support Asian Pacific Americans during this time, please visit
here
.
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