Published: 2/26/2019 12:01:29 AM
Survivors of domestic violence have gone through enough and are in desperate need of a wide variety of resources. New Hampshire is fortunate to have several organizations working to support domestic violence victims and their families.
Crisis center advocates are available 24/7 to provide support, accompany survivors to court, hospitals and police departments, and help survivors find jobs, save money and rebuild their lives. These same crisis centers manage emergency shelters that provide survivors and their children with a safe place to stay when fleeing an abuser. Additionally, N.H. Legal Assistance provides legal support to survivors who find themselves in the criminal justice system and in desperate need of legal representation – a very important part of a survivors’ journey to independence.
Survivors need both of these resources at their disposal, and I was upset to see a recent article in the Monitor that pit these two agencies against one another in the fight for state funding. Both organizations deserve more state funding – and with $30 million sitting in the rainy day fund, our state can afford it to prioritize both. It’s absurd to think that money was taken away from any one organization and given to another. Support services for domestic violence victims should not be presented as a game or dramatized to sell papers.
I hope the Legislature will see fit to increase funding for both of these agencies because domestic violence victims need the both the vital, comprehensive services provided by crisis centers and the legal expertise offered by NHLA.
PAULA C. LESMERISES
Concord