Thanks to funding from the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA), the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence (NRCDV) has been a comprehensive source of information for those wanting to educate themselves and help others on the many issues related to domestic violence for the past 25 years.

Over the past 35 years, through the unparalleled leadership of the FVPSA Office, funding for Indian tribes has supported the development of services for domestic violence victims rooted in tribal laws and cultures.  The development and provision of life-saving tribal-specific shelter and supportive services have been foundational to the cultural changes that survivors, advocates, and tribes have made since 1984.  While much work remains, the recognition within FVPSA that domestic violence is unacceptable behavior and victims have a right to shelter and supportive services is a cultural shift in the history of the United States.

On the 35th anniversary of FVPSA, we reflect on enormous and life-changing impact FVPSA funding has supported across the county. With generous and sustained funding from FVPSA Casa de Esperanza’s National Latin@ Network for Healthy Families and Communities (NLN) exists to advance effective responses to eliminate violence and promote healthy relationships within Latin@ families and communities by building bridges and connections among practice, policy and research. 

It’s fall, the leaves are changing colors, and we’re feeling nostalgic at the National Domestic Violence Hotline (The Hotline). We just answered our 5 millionth contact earlier this year, and while this number is a bittersweet reminder of how prevalent domestic violence is, we’re thankful to be able to provide resources and support to survivors and their loved ones every single day.

 This year marks the 35th anniversary of the signing into law of the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA) administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children & Families, Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB). Just over a quarter of the 229 Tribes in Alaska receive FVPSA funds, and only since 1998. The tribes receive funding amounts annually from $14,000 to $23,000. Although these are small amounts, the help this has meant for Alaska Native victims of domestic violence has been lifesaving. In 2017 and 2018, Congress recognized the disparities facing tribal victims and added $5 million in appropriations to the FVPSA tribal allocation. Alaska Native villages have used these funds to help keep women and children safe. These funds make a difference.

On the 35th anniversary of the passage of the Family Violence Prevention Services Act (FVPSA), the Northwest Network of Bi, Trans, Lesbian and Gay Survivors of Abuse (NW Network) and National LGBTQ Institute on Intimate Partner Violence (LGBTQ Institute) reflect on the impact of this landmark federal legislation on our work and on the lives of LGBTQ survivors. Passed in 1984, FVPSA has been a cornerstone in federal funding for domestic violence services, supporting both survivors’ access to needed resources and the field’s ability to provide those resources.

After 35 years of progress with FVSPA, NNEDV looks forward to continuing our work with state administrators, coalitions and tribal communities to collectively end violence in all communities.

The StrongHearts Native Helpline (1-844-7NATIVE) – a culturally-appropriate domestic violence and dating violence helpline created by and for Native Americans – joins in the celebration of 35th anniversary of the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA). FVPSA is the primary federal funding stream dedicated to the support of emergency shelter and related assistance for victims of domestic violence and their children, the National Domestic Violence Hotline, and the StrongHearts Native Helpline.

FVPSA funding has allowed Ujima, since 2016, to provide training and technical assistance, resources, research, education and outreach, and address public policy issues on domestic, sexual, and community violence in the Black community.

At the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, one of the largest and oldest judicial membership organizations in the nation, FVPSA funds the Resource Center on Domestic Violence: Child Protection and Custody (RCDV:CPC). This resource center provides training and technical assistance to professionals seeking to improve outcomes on child protection cases that involve domestic violence.

The National Clearinghouse for the Defense of Battered Women (NCDBW), an organization that works with victims of battering charged with crimes related to their abuse, received its first FVPSA grant in 1993.  Even back in the early 1990s, the FVPSA office was committed to supporting all domestic violence survivors including those with open criminal charges, serving time in jail or prison, or returning to their communities after incarceration.