Domestic violence groups get funding

Most of the state’s domestic violence and sexual assault advocacy groups have now been approved for state grant funding needed to keep their shelters and crisis centers open.

Staff at the state Department of Administration worked through the weekend to approve grant applications and dispense checks to local non-profits assisting survivors of family and sexual violence.

Their checks should arrive by week’s end, state officials said.

As of last week, dozens of community nonprofits had yet to receive grant money they had expected four months ago. For many, not receiving the state’s assistance since July meant neglecting electric bills and turning to banks for loans to meet payroll. At some shelters and crisis centers, paid staff worked for free.

“None of this was intended,” said Mel Chilton, executive director of the North Carolina Council for Women, which is now responsible for dispensing these grants. “We never wanted them to be in this position.”

Chilton’s group took over responsibility for state domestic violence and sexual assault grants in October, three months into the fiscal year. The local nonprofits had already applied for this money through another state agency, North Carolina Department of Crime Control and Public Safety. When Chilton’s team took over, they mostly had to start from scratch approving grants for over 350 applications, she said.

The state relies on these community organizations to shelter people fleeing abusive relationships. These organizations also send staff to meet rape victims in the emergency room while they get exams to collect forensic evidence. And the groups help get domestic violence victims obtain court orders to keep abusers away.

For many, state grants are as much as three-fourths of their annual budget.

Council For Women staff is working with a handful of programs to retrieve documents needed to approve their grants. A few others are being reviewed by the state Auditor, and a favorable recommendation is needed before those funds can be dispersed, Chilton said.