Overview
- The Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence (PCADV) is the state contractor for domestic violence services, ensuring free and confidential services to all counties of the Commonwealth through its network of local domestic violence programs.
- PCADV and its member programs rely on appropriations in the state budget allocated to DHS through the domestic violence line item.
- Programs are still recovering from the FY25-26 budget impasse that left survivors and service providers without state support for more than 1/3 of the year. Services were curtailed and staff were laid off. Recovery will take time.
Case for Support – Summary
- Pennsylvania is facing a growing gap between housing supply and demand.
- Survivors in PA wait longer for housing than any other group, and the services they need are historically underfunded.
- Pennsylvania must invest in both domestic violence services and housing support for survivors.
- Increase the DHS domestic violence line item by $8 million / Increase the DHS DV line item to $31.063 million.
- In just one day in 2024, PCADV programs served more than 3,100 victims. Still, nearly 500 requests for housing and services went unmet due to a lack of funding.
- Nearly 40% of people experiencing homelessness are fleeing abuse and need safe, affordable housing paired with supportive services.
- All survivors of domestic violence deserve safety, stability, and support.
Unmet Needs by Category
Housing
- Domestic violence is a leading cause of homelessness.
- Each year the number of DV victims and their children who need emergency shelter and housing supports increases, along with rising costs for rent and basic needs.
- Last year there were 4,227 unmet requests to PCADV programs from DV victims, many of which were for emergency shelter, hotels, emergency relocation, and other housing needs that were left unmet due to a lack of funding.
- DV providers in PA report insufficient funding as the primary reason why survivor requests for housing go unmet, and DV survivors far outnumber any other subpopulation in households that are seeking both homelessness resources and services.
Economic Safety: Access to Employment and Transportation
- Economic abuse occurs in 99% of DV cases.
- Economic independence is one of the best predictors of whether a victim will remain free from their abuser. Financial instability increases vulnerability to abuse.
- Funding to support victims’ access to transportation, employment opportunities, and other necessities is in short supply.
Civil Legal Representation
- Dedicated Civil Legal Representation (CLR) projects for DV victims are unavailable at programs in over 2/3 of the state, leaving 61% of PA counties without dedicated CLR services.
- This gap in services is potentially lethal.
- Victims with legal representation are significantly more likely to obtain all appropriate court ordered provisions to ensure safety for themselves and their children.
Medical Advocacy
- Specially trained DV advocates provide victims with life-saving counseling, support, and advocacy throughout healthcare settings statewide.
- Support in healthcare settings is often a victim’s only access point to DV advocacy.
- Only 22% of the Commonwealth’s counties have a DV dedicated medical advocate.
- Pennsylvania’s healthcare shortage and maternal healthcare deserts heighten the need for medical advocates, particularly in rural areas.
Prevention
- PCADV programs do not receive adequate state funding to implement school-based DV prevention programming.
- The coalition has supported community prevention for the last 10 years through funding from the CDC Delta program, but its future is in jeopardy.
- Stopping domestic violence before it starts is the most cost-effective strategy to reduce
the state’s estimated $156 billion economic lifetime burden.
- Recent funding disruptions have resulted in a 17% prevention staff reduction statewide.
Support for Victims of Crime [VOCA]
- The 45% decrease in federal victim services funding since FY22 is catastrophic for VSPs in
Pennsylvania.
- Last year the state reduced VOCA awards by 5%, and the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) expects more severe cuts of 15%+ if the situation is not addressed.
- Pennsylvania VSPs report that the impacts of VOCA cuts on their organizations have resulted in:
- the reduction of emergency housing supports & supportive services for victims of DV
- cuts to civil legal programs
- an approx. 33% reduction in staffing that has forced positions to go part-time or unfilled
- and other impacts such as cuts to crisis response and trauma counseling, even while crime rates rise
Retention of Skilled Program Staff
- According to the National Council of Nonprofits, 86.8% of surveyed npos said that salary competition impacts their ability to recruit and retain employees.
- DV programs statewide are among those who struggle to retain and attract staff due to non-competitive salaries.
- More than 15% of PA private sector jobs are at nonprofits.
- Many nonprofit professionals must rely on government assistance because of low wages.
- Each year 1 in 8 Pennsylvanians experiences food insecurity and/or challenges meeting basic needs.
- Domestic violence programs must be able to offer competitive salaries to attract and maintain staff.
- Keeping employees at a living wage level reduces the additional burden on government support systems.