Grant money helps local non-profits serve victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – The Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet is announcing grant funding equaling more than $2 million from the federal Violence Against Women Act: Services, Training, Officers, Prosecution Formula Grant Program to 28 agencies across Kentucky.

Two of those are in South Central Kentucky.

Wednesday, Governor Andy Beshear announced the distribution of funds to programs that assist women who have been impacted by violence.

The VAWA STOP funds are used to develop and strengthen effective law enforcement, prosecution, judicial strategies and victim services throughout Kentucky.

Beshear stating that these funds are a step in the right direction to rid the area of violence against women.

“I believe in a world without domestic violence, without sexual abuse, without child abuse, and it should be attainable. It just takes all of us continuing to work every day and these $2,000,000 to organizations that earn the money are going to help us to get there,” said Beshear.

The funding, locally, will be given to Barren River Area Safe Space and Hope Harbor, to help people who are victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking.

These funds help survivors of violent crime stabilize their lives after an incident and assist in developing prevention strategies to stop the violence before it starts, while at the same time, holding offenders accountable.

For Hope Harbor, the grant will help pay for a system advocate under the category of victim’s services, according to Melissa Whitley, the executive director of Hope Harbor.

That position assists Hope Harbor in working with other agencies to help a survivor.

“We can’t do this work alone. So, there are other partners and other agencies that are also working with those same survivors, whether that is the hospitals where they arrive at the emergency room or if they decide to prosecute and they go to law enforcement. So, what these funds do is then help us to have those conversations,” said Whitley.

Conversations that allow specialists to convene and discuss the best ways to handle situations and victim’s needs.

For BRASS, VAWA supports the services for underserved victims including rural, those who may be dealing with a language barrier, immigrants, refugees and undocumented victims.

The funding supports the work of a bilingual advocate.

According to Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet Secretary Mary Noble, “Reports indicate that domestic violence has increased while the nation battles against the COVID-19 pandemic. As a state we must support all efforts to curb domestic violence and provide a voice to victims so they no longer have to suffer in silence.”

It is important to note, these funds can be used to assist men and non-binary people who have been impacted by sexual or domestic violence as well.