In Santa Clara County, 41% of women with children are homeless. report violence as the main cause, while 39% return to an unsafe home because they have nowhere to go.
Last year, the Santa Clara County Domestic Violence Advocacy Consortium provided direct services to more than 14,000 survivors and responded to more than 31,500 calls through our 24-hour hotlines. The consortium agencies (Asian Americans for Community Involvement (AACI), Community Solutions, Maitri, Next Door Solutions to Domestic Violence, and YWCA Golden Gate Silicon Valley) provide culturally sensitive and trauma-informed services to survivors of gender-based violence throughout the county. These services include emergency shelter, case management, health services, mental health counseling, legal assistance, immigration assistance, and financial support.
Despite our best efforts, nearly 800 people had to be removed from safe haven in our shelters due to lack of capacity.
Services like those our organizations provide are largely funded through the Crime Victims Act, a 1984 federal law that established funding through fines and penalties stemming from federal convictions, not taxpayer funds.
Unfortunately, this essential fund has diminished over time, with experts anticipating more than $700 million in cuts nationwide over the next year and more than $2.1 million in cuts for Santa Clara County alone. If not addressed, our county could lose up to 40% of our emergency shelter and housing programs for survivors, 30% of our rape crisis services, and 30% of services for child survivors of abuse and neglect.
For Eve, a local survivor whose name has been changed for her safety, it is clear what is at stake.
Eve, a monolingual Vietnamese-speaking mother of two, sought help at the AACI Asian Women’s Home after fleeing her partner’s abuse. She feared for her family and needed protection. Her bilingual advocate helped her file for a restraining order and child custody, connected her to child care, and supported a smooth transition to Maitri’s transitional housing program.
Eve is now on the path to self-sufficiency and independence. She is taking English classes, looking for a job and learning to drive. Her children love child care and Eve shared that her advocate helped her have faith and guided her toward next steps for her family. She no longer has negative thoughts and has begun to see the good in life.
All survivors deserve the safety and new beginning that Eve and her family have experienced. Unfortunately, funding for these life-saving services is at serious risk.
California is often considered a leader in prioritizing important issues. As cuts to federal funding threaten the services that so many survivors of gender violence depend on, it is critical that state and local governments step in to fill the funding gap. Despite a challenging budget cycle, the state must find a way to prioritize and preserve these essential services. Life depends on this. It will be a tough fight, in which the voices of the community will make the difference in tipping the balance.
Help us raise awareness of this important issue among your friends, family, colleagues and neighbors. Contact your state representatives. Urging them to include $200 million for crime victim services in next year’s state budget. Ask them to support Assemblymember Eloise Reyes’ AB 1956, which creates a state law to replenish federal funds, and Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel’s AB 2432, which provides future funding through corporate sanctions. Contact the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors and urge members to set aside continued funding for crime victim services.
The stakes could not be higher. Survivors like Eve who rely on these essential services are running out of time.
The Santa Clara County Domestic Violence Advocacy Consortium is comprised of AACI, Community Solutions, Maitri, Next Door Solutions and YWCA Golden Gate Silicon Valley.
