Hunter
06/28/21
The Domestic Violence Intervention Program has announced that due to federal funding cuts, they’ve made the difficult decision to close three of their Iowa offices.
In a release from DVIP, offices in Mt. Pleasant, Burlington and Keokuk will be closed to diminish expenses and save services to rural communities most vulnerable.
The pandemic has been a challenge for the non-profit, as crisis line calls increased by 28% and emergency hotel expenses increasing ten-fold over the year. At the same time, they’ve learned that Victims of Crime Act funding will be cut by 35% over the next two fiscal years.
Alta Medea-Peters, the Director of Community Engagement, says that DVIP is working with federal legislators to resolve the issue. The House has passed a bill, but it waiting for Senate action. While the bill’s passage will fix the cuts moving forward, it won’t fix the current cuts.
Services won’t be affected because during the pandemic, staff and mobile advocacy services have been able to function without having offices.
The group will continue to maintain its Iowa City office, as well as the Burlington Transitional Shelter, Keokuk Emergency Shelter, and Wednesday walk-in hours in Keosauqua.
DVIP serves an eight-county area in Iowa.