HARRISBURG – Approximately $3.4 million in federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds will help 21 agencies across the state to better respond to violence against women and help women who have been victims of violence.
The Recovery funding supports the STOP Violence Against Women grant programs of the criminal and juvenile justice systems.
“These federal funds will help victim service providers, law enforcement, prosecutors and judges work together to ensure that victims of crime receive the services they need and deserve,” said Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency Chairman Walter M. Phillips Jr. “It will help to strengthen and streamline the programs and services provided to women to help them heal from violent crime, including domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence and stalking.”
The commission approved the funds at its quarterly meeting this week for agencies in Allegheny, Bedford, Berks, Cambria, Centre, Chester, Cumberland, Dauphin, Delaware, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Mercer, Montgomery, Philadelphia, Union and York counties.
This STOP Violence Against Women grant program was created under the Violence Against Women Act of 1994. It encourages partnerships between criminal and juvenile justice systems and victim advocacy organizations, as well as promotes the collaboration between municipalities and community- and faith-based organizations to better respond to the cultural needs and sensitivities of crime victims.
As the state’s leading agency for criminal justice policy issues, PCCD works to prevent and reduce crime and respond to the needs of victims. PCCD collaborates with the Governor’s office, state and local elected officials, victim service providers, juvenile and criminal justice agencies, community-based agencies and others to achieve those goals.
Editor’s Note: PCCD approved the following agencies for funding through the STOP Violence Against Women grant program:
Women’s Center and Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh (Allegheny County) –$200,000
York Safe Haven (Bedford County) — $157,253
City of Reading (Berks County) — $109,383
Network of Victim Assistance (Bucks County) — $184,216
Women’s Help Center (Cambria County) — $79,450
Centre County Women’s Resource Center, Inc. (Centre County) — $125,348
Chester County Commissioners (Chester County) — $200,000
Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape (Cumberland County) — $110,320
Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence (Dauphin County) — $200,000
Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence – Judicial Training (Dauphin County) — $120,937
Delaware County Chief Executive — $198,548
Lackawanna County Commissioners — $111,589
Lancaster County Commissioners — $126,621
Lawrence County Commissioners — $200,000
AWARE Inc. (Mercer County) — $134,511
Women’s Center of Montgomery County — $200,000
Senior Law Center (Philadelphia) — $200,000
City of Philadelphia — $199,800
Women Against Abuse Inc. (Philadelphia) — $199,976
Susquehanna Valley Women In Transition (Union County) — $175,000
York County Commissioners — $200,000
