National Domestic Violence Hotline Funded

From: Administration For Children & Families

$4.1 million awarded for National Domestic Violence Hotline

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families (ACF) has announced the award of $4.1 million in Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA) funds to the National Domestic Violence Hotline.

“The National Domestic Violence Hotline provides a vital link to services and support for victims of domestic violence and their families,” said Marylouise Kelley, director of the Family Violence Prevention and Services Program. “These funds will assure that this important and crucial program is available 24/7 for those reaching out for help.”

The Hotline is the only national organization that provides crisis intervention, information and referral, advocacy, safety planning, emotional support, and counseling over the phone, through text messaging, and by online chat to both adult and youth victims of family violence, domestic violence or dating violence. These services are also available to family and household members of such victims, friends, and other persons affected by the victimization.

“The National Domestic Violence Hotline is a compassionate, knowledgeable resource empowering victims through human connection and practical help,” said Hotline CEO, Katie Ray Jones. “The Hotline’s highly trained expert advocates provide peer-to-peer support to anyone who reaches out to us, with lifesaving tools, safety planning and hope.”

The Hotline connects callers to nearly 1,600 domestic violence shelters and 1,300 non-residential service sites that are funded by the FVPSA.  They also assist state and local domestic violence hotlines in response to increased demand in hotline contacts generated by a national public awareness campaign or other high profile media event. Additionally, through its youth focused program, loveisrespect, the Hotline engages, educates and empowers young people to prevent and end abusive relationships.

In 2014, the Hotline received and answered 232,889 contacts through calls, chats and texts. Seventy-two percent of those contacts were from victims and survivors. The rest were from friends, family and others. Over the last 19 years, more than 3.5 million people have received help from the Hotline around issues of domestic and dating violence. Since 1996, the FVPSA has provided nearly $53 million in support to the National Domestic Violence Hotline.

The Family Violence Prevention and Services Program is the primary federal funder of domestic violence emergency shelter and other supportive services in all 50 States, the District of Columbia, 5 territories and 274 tribes.

For more facts on the Family Violence Prevention and Services Program

http://www.acf.hhs.gov/fvpsa

The National Domestic Violence Hotline

1-800-799-SAFE (7233)

www.thehotline.org