SYRACUSE, NY— U.S. Rep. John Katko (NY-24) today announced he reintroduced the bipartisan Family Violence Prevention and Services Improvement Act (FVPSA).
The bill will reauthorize and expand funding for programs focused on protecting survivors and preventing family and domestic violence, and is the only federal funding source under the Department of Health and Human Services dedicated to providing domestic violence prevention services. Rep. Katko reintroduced the bill alongside U.S. Reps. Lucy McBath (D, GA-06), Gwen Moore (D, WI-04), and Don Young (R-AK-At Large).
“Since it was first authorized in 1984, the bipartisan Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA) has played a vital role in supporting survivors of domestic violence and their children,” Katko said. “In Central New York, I’ve heard firsthand how important FVPSA is to keeping families safe and ensuring they have access to emergency resources. By reauthorizing this important program, we will ensure local, state, and tribal governments, as well as critical service providers in our communities, have the resources necessary to prevent violence and provide essential protection and support services to survivors.”
Specifically, the Family Violence Prevention and Services Improvement Act expands resources for survivors and initiatives to end domestic violence by:
Increasing the funding authorization level to $253 million to respond to very low per-program funding levels and provide access to FVPSA funds for programs not currently funded.
Expanding support for and access to culturally-specific programs.
Culturally-specific organizations are better equipped to address the complex, multi-layered challenges facing victims from racial and ethnic minority populations as they seek services and protections from abuse.
Culturally-specific programs often have challenges accessing FVPSA funding at the state and local levels due to the limited funding available and robust competition. This bill authorizes a new culturally-specific program to address these needs and incorporates related funding into the formula itself.
Meaningfully investing in prevention. Brings evidence-informed, community-based prevention initiatives to more communities.
Strengthening and updating the National Domestic Violence Hotline and hotline services for underrepresented populations, including American Indians, Alaskan Natives and Deaf victims of domestic and dating violence.
Creating a new underserved populations grant program.
The lack of resources and severity of violence is often heightened for survivors living at the margins, such as those living in rural communities, individuals with disabilities, older adults, those identifying with faith-based communities, youth and others. These underserved populations are often reluctant to seek assistance, and when they do, they frequently look for services and support in their immediate communities. This bill creates a grant program for family centers, youth centers, senior centers, community-based organizations or vocational organizations to meet the needs of these survivors.
Continuing to support national technical assistance (TA) centers, including the Alaskan Native Tribal Resource Center on Domestic Violence, and their work to develop effective policy, practice, research and cross-system collaborations.
Updating provisions and definitions to ensure access to services for all survivors, better align with related programs and reflect evolving practices in order to provide uniform guidance to those working to end domestic violence.
Updates language to reflect current practices and provide a reference to other statutes to ensure common understanding across different federal programs.
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