PUBLIC POLICY
The Iowa Coalition Against Domestic Violence represents 22 local crime victim service provider agencies supporting survivors in every Iowa county. Intimate partner violence (IPV) remains a preventable but persistent public health problem with epidemic levels of prevalence. ICADV is committed to advancing policies to address the urgent needs of survivors, supporting increased funding for victim services to ensure statewide access to support, and promoting comprehensive responses to violence and effective solutions for ending and preventing it.
We engage our membership and Iowa communities in advocacy efforts to promote positive public policy change through education and outreach to legislators. We provide input on legislation to Iowa state legislators and to Iowa’s U.S. Congressional delegation. We also comment on government agency policies and participate in working groups addressing issues impacting survivors.
POLICY RESOURCES TO SUPPORT SURVIVIORS
FEDERAL POLICY PRIORITIES
We join the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV) and state, tribal, and territorial coalitions to support federal funding for victim services and public policies to improve and advance equity in responses to violence, access to services, and prevention efforts across all systems. Each year, Iowa victim service provider agencies participate in NNEDV’s Annual Domestic Violence Counts Survey: a one-day, unduplicated count of adults and children seeking domestic violence services in the United States. In Iowa, in just one day in 2023, 764 victims of domestic violence received services, but 89 requests for services went unmet due to lack of funding, and approximately 91% of those unmet requests were for housing and emergency shelter. There is an urgent need to increase survivors’ access to vital programs as well as to address current unmet needs.
Victim service provider agencies rely on federal, state, local, and private funds to provide services to crime victims (Summary funding sources). Federal funding is the largest source of funding for victim services in Iowa and nationwide. The Iowa Attorney General’s Victim Assistance Section (formerly the Crime Victim Assistance Division or CVAD) administers the federal grant funding for victim services authorized through the federal laws highlighted below. Each year, the Victim Assistance Section publishes an annual report summarizing the work of Iowa’s publicly funded crime victim service providers.
CONNECT WITH IOWA'S U.S. CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION
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Senator Joni Ernst
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Rep. Zach Nunn (IA-03)
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Rep. Randy Feenstra (IA-04)
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FAMILY VIOLENCE PREVENTION AND SERVICES ACT (FVPSA)
The Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA), enacted in 1984, is the foundation for our nation’s public health response to gender violence. Federal FVPSA funds to states support essential victim services, including emergency shelter, housing assistance, counseling services, crisis lines, and other vital support services for families impacted by violence. We urge Congress to increase FVSPA funding and enable crime victim service providers to better support victims of violence. In Iowa, in just one day in 2023, 764 victims of domestic violence received services; but 89 requests for services went unmet due to lack of funding and approximately 91% of those unmet requests were for housing and emergency shelter. There is an urgent need to increase survivors’ access to vital programs as well as to address current unmet needs.
VICTIMS OF CRIME ACT (VOCA)
The Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) of 1984 created the Crime Victims Fund (CVF), where fines and monetary payments collected from violations of federal law could be deposited so these non-taxpayer funds can be available to support crime victims. VOCA victim assistance grants to states remain the largest source of funding for crime victim services nationwide. Each year, Congress decides the amount of CVF funds to allocate for VOCA victim assistance grants and state grant funds are distributed to local crime victim service provider agencies across Iowa. These grants have enabled Iowa programs to dramatically increase the number of crime victims served, expand access to services in rural and underserved communities, and offer a broad range of effective post-crisis services that support long-term stability for families. In addition to state grants for victim services, federal VOCA funds support state victim compensation programs, victim notification systems, and victim specialists in the US Attorney’s office.
We urgently need Congress to support efforts to quickly boost deposits into the Crime Victim Fund to prevent additional cuts to this essential source of funding for victim support services. In FY24 VOCA victim assistance grants to states were cut 42% compared to FY23 because there was not enough in the CFV to allocate more. Join us in urging Congress to pass the bi-partisan Crime Victim Fund Stabilization Act (HR 8061) providing a temporary infusion of resources to quickly stabilize the fund. We celebrated the enactment of the “VOCA Fix to Sustain the Crime Victims Fund Act” (VOCA Fix) in July 2021 and appreciated the unanimous support from Iowa’s Congressional delegation. The VOCA Fix law was urgently needed because deposits into the CVF were dangerously low. The new law enables more funds to be available for crime victims in the future, however, it will take more time to sufficiently replenish the fund. Massive cuts and inconsistent funding do not benefit crime victims or service providers doing their best to provide support.
VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN ACT (VAWA)
The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) of 1994 provides resources to states and local organizations working to support effective responses to domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking. The law includes essential civil rights protections to ensure equal access to services and housing for all survivors. We celebrated the enactment of the VAWA reauthorization bill in 2022, making critical improvements that increase access to safety and justice for all survivors, including immigrant and Native survivors and enhance housing non-discrimination protections.
FEDERAL FUNDING FOR VICTIMS OF VIOLENCE
We join NNEDV in requesting robust federal funding for survivors of violence. Click here for additional information regarding state and federal funding for survivors of violence.
Contact ICADV
To learn more about our legislative efforts, contact our director of Public Policy, Laura Hessburg, at 515.244.8028.