The Family Violence Prevention and Services Act: A key pillar in the federal response to domestic violence.
35 Years of Impact
On average, 24 people per minute are raped, physically assaulted, or stalked by an intimate partner in the United States: more than 12 million people per year (CDC, 2011). Over 15 million children are exposed to domestic violence every year as well (McDonald et al., 2006).
Until the 1970s and before the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA), domestic violence had long been a hidden problem, and survivors often endured abuse in silence, having nowhere to go. During this time, a national grassroots movement of survivors, civic organizations, and community leaders began to open shelters and provide services to victims of domestic violence and their children. With few resources available, volunteers welcomed victims into their homes, providing advocacy around their own kitchen tables.
In 1984, U.S. Attorney General Bejamin Civiletti established the Task Force on Family Violence, which issued a landmark report on the scope and impact of domestic violence in the United States. As a result, Congress conducted a series of hearings to listen to victims and advocates and explore how the Federal government could best respond. In October of that year, the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act as Title III of the Child Abuse Amendments of 1984 was signed into law.
The Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA) provides the primary federal funding stream dedicated to the support of emergency shelter and supportive services for victims of domestic violence and their dependents. For 35 years the Department of Health and Human Services, Family Violence Prevention and Services Program has improved the capacity of health and social service agencies’ responses to domestic violence through comprehensive training and technical assistance. The FVPSA Program’s capacity building has resulted in system improvements; increased knowledge sharing; and community level coordination among domestic violence programs, health, and social service agencies. FVPSA funded grantees provide shelter, emergency services, community-based supports, and technical assistance in each US state and territory. This funding has resulted in improved capacity for how health centers; head start programs; child support agencies, and TANF agencies respond to the issue of domestic violence and connect their clients to community-based services and hotlines.
