VOICE getting state funding boost for first time in 6 years
Butler County’s Victim Outreach Intervention Center (VOICE) has added more than 600 clients in the first seven months of the year. After six years of flat funding in the state budget, members of its staff were feeling the pressure.
“After years of flat funding, we have had to reduce staffing while asking remaining team members to take on additional responsibilities to maintain the level and quality of services survivors depend on,” said Tracy Veri, CEO of VOICE.
The state added $95,916 to the nonprofit’s funding this year, bringing its total state funding to $296,222. Veri said about 95% of the nonprofit’s funding comes from state and federal grants.
VOICE has seen a steady stream of new clients using its services month over month. It added 62 clients in January, which steadily increased to adding 82 clients in April, then it dropped slightly before adding a staggering 229 clients in July, according to the organization’s monthly reports.
It added 643 new clients between January and July.
“I think we are seeing an influx because now there is more public knowledge of what it is and how to reach out,” said Nicole Hyatt, a prevention education and medical advocate for VOICE.
The nonprofit provides an average of about 440 hours of adult counseling and 50 hours of children’s counseling per month, a 24-hour crisis hotline, supportive housing and an emergency shelter, education, medical and court advocacy and civil attorneys for its clients seeking services for domestic and sexual violence.
Veri said the years of flat funding, on a practical level, led to a reduction in funding due to an increase in the costs of providing services, including staffing, benefits, utilities, supplies and transportation.
“When funding does not keep pace with inflation and growing community needs, it becomes increasingly difficult to maintain the same level of service for survivors,” Veri said.
The funding will primarily support critical staffing needs in providing sexual assault services and trauma-informed support, Veri said.
The nonprofit also receives grant funding from the Pennsylvania Coalition to Advance Respect, which annually distributes up to $10 million federal and state funds in Pennsylvania. It has applied for two additional grants to be awarded in September that would help the nonprofit expand its services, Veri said.
“Grant funding is typically restricted to specific programs and expenses,” she said. “That is why unrestricted donations are vital to our operations. They give us the flexibility to address agencywide needs that grants may not cover.”
Veri highlighted building maintenance and essential items for survivors as examples of what grants typically don’t cover.
Increased awareness and prevention education has helped reduce the stigma surrounding domestic violence and sexual assault, which encourages people to seek help, Hyatt said.
Every call is confidential. Callers aren’t forced to leave a situation if they’re not yet ready. It takes an average of seven attempts for a survivor to leave a domestic violence situation, according to the nonprofit.
“(Callers) kind of need people to guide them because, of course, when anybody’s in a crisis, your mind is just all over the place,” said Jessica Wasson, a VOICE prevention education and outreach advocate.
Hyatt said offering a listening ear and explaining a client’s options is a VOICE advocate’s first priority. Initial conversations may also include designating a trusted contact for emergencies, developing a safety plan and strategies for grounding while in crisis. VOICE advocates will explain the options and let the client decide.
For people with pets, VOICE also works with the Butler County Humane Society to get their pet into temporary fostering when fleeing a domestic violence situation.
“It’s really just getting a safe spot for their pet as well,” Hyatt said.
If they decide it’s time to act, VOICE employs two attorneys who help clients file different types of protection from abuse orders — if that’s the correct next step. Wasson explained sometimes a client won’t have all the required information or want to put it in a publicly available document.
“They know their relationship better than we do, so this might not be the right time (to leave). But we give them a safety plan so that when it is, they feel prepared,” Wasson said.
