The publication is reproduced in full below:
FAMILY VIOLENCE PREVENTION AND SERVICES IMPROVEMENT ACT OF 2021
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speech of
HON. DANNY K. DAVIS
of illinois
in the house of representatives
Tuesday, October 26, 2021
Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of the Family Violence Prevention and Services Improvement Act. The Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence and its members have clearly communicated to me the critical nature of the Family Violence Prevention and Services funding and the improvements included in this legislation to Chicago and the state of Illinois.
In 2020, these funds helped provide over 547,287 hours of service in Illinois, assisting 42,886 adult survivors of domestic violence and 8,055 child witnesses. These dollars provided shelter, transportation and parental support, legal advocacy and education, crisis intervention, and connections to community resources. For example, Ascend Justice use these federal funds to support their vital work to obtain Orders of Protection for their clients.
Similarly, Metropolitan Family Services used these funds to provide direct emergency support to their clients to help survivors of domestic violence to find or maintain safer housing, feed and clothe their families, protect themselves from COVID-19, and access lifesaving services remotely during the pandemic. Specifically, here are just a few ways Metropolitan Family Services used these funds:
Provided rent and utility payment assistance of between $500 to $1000 for 32 clients;
Paid for five hotel shelter nights for a client who was unable to access other emergency shelter when she needed it;
Provided grocery gift cards of between $50 to $250 per client for 18 clients experiencing food insecurity;
Provided clothing, toiletries, and/or PPE kits to 50 clients;
Purchased and distributed educational materials about COVID-19 to clients and community members;
Purchased eight Chromebooks to loan to clients to participate in remote domestic violence counseling services to overcome their lack of adequate technology; and
Purchased four laptops for the Domestic Violence Court advocates, allowing them to continue assisting clients with Orders of Protection, legal referrals, and courtroom support while the Centralized Domestic Violence Courthouse in Chicago was operating remotely.
These funds and services mean the difference between safety and harm, and I applaud this House for improving the Family Violence Prevention and Services program. I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this legislation.
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SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 167, No. 189
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