COVID is creating the perfect storm for non-profit organizations—specifically domestic violence organizations.
Their fundraising abilities are diminished as in-person events are cancelled, yet the costs of keeping people safe are skyrocketing in order to meet social distancing requirements in shelters.
“Costs are escalating,” says Mary-Jane Foster, the President and Executive Director at Interval Hose in Hartford. “In normal times, back in the old days our hotel costs were under $1,000 a month. And then in April, May, June, they began to be roughly $9,000 a month. It’s $10,500 a month that we are averaging.”
These costs at Interval House do not include transportation or the cost of food. Domestic Violence organizations statewide are seeing an increase in costs.
“Safe Futures, which is my local shelter, saw their costs go from $7,000 in July[2019] to $67,000 in July [2020],” says Holly Cheeseman, State Representative for the 37th district. “The number of hotel bed nights was 215 in all of 2019. As of August it was 1,500.”
The Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence says they spent more than $340,000 on hoteling victims between March and August.
“And that’s been a real challenge because it’s requiring advocates to be with victims in shelters and then assisting individuals in hotels and we do expect this is going to be an ongoing circumstance through 2021,” says Karen Jarmoc, Executive Director for the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence. “And so we’re just continuing to work hard to be responsive and keep people safe.”
CCADV says they were able to leverage $600,000 to resource hotels but predict it will cost $1 million dollars by next summer. They are seeking up to $450,000 dollars more.
“This pandemic doesn’t look like it’s ending anytime soon,” says Representative Cheeseman. “The money that CCADV has received is just gonna cover the back costs that they’ve incurred.”
Their ability to raise funds has changed dramatically. It’s no longer event-centered. Organizations are reaching out to individuals, foundations, or sources they need directly.
“I think we all felt differently about it when we all thought maybe it was a very finite period of time,” says Foster. “But, the fact is that there is no light at the end of this tunnel yet.”
This is why organizations say they need more government funding.
“The Governor came up with $9 million for performing arts,” says Representative Cheeseman. “I think $400,000 to keep children and families safe is a small ask going forward.”
Governor Lamont says everyone is looking for more funding.
“President Joe Biden is going to make a priority of providing support for our states in the middle of this COVID crisis to make sure the recession doesn’t have the impact that it could have otherwise and we have the social support for the most vulnerable in our society,” says Governor Lamont.
“Once we go back to the indoors with the weather I expect yet another spike in domestic violence,” says Foster. “And I don’t have stories for you or numbers for you on this, but every single executive director across the state has said they are seeing much more viciousness in the abuse that we’re seeing and is reported. So we’ve known it was coming and it’s here.”
Interval House is doing a gift-card drive because there is so little they can do for victims.
You can donate to them here.
Here are donations links to the 18 Domestic Violence organizations across the state.
The Umbrella Center for Domestic Violence Services (2 locations)
- Towns served: Ansonia, Beacon Falls, Derby, Orange, Oxford, Seymour, Shelton
- Towns served: Bethany, Branford, East Haven, Guilford, Hamden, Madison, Milford, New Haven, North Branford, North Haven, West Haven, Woodbridge
- Towns served: Bridgeport, Easton, Fairfield, Monroe, Stratford, Trumbull
- Towns served: Bethel, Bridgewater, Brookfield, Danbury, New Fairfield, New Milford, Newtown, Redding, Ridgefield, Roxbury, Sherman
Domestic Violence Program/United Services, Inc. (2locations)
- Towns served: Brooklyn, Canterbury, Eastford, Killingly, Plainfield, Pomfret, Putnam, Sterling, Thompson, Union, Woodstock
- Towns served: Ashford, Chaplin, Columbia, Coventry, Hampton, Mansfield, Scotland, Willington, Windham
- Towns served: Enfield, East Windsor, Somers, Stafford, Suffield, Windsor Locks
- Towns served: Greenwich
- Towns served: Andover, Avon, Bloomfield, Bolton, Canton, East Granby, East Hartford, Ellington, Farmington, Glastonbury, Granby, Hartford, Hebron, Manchester, Marlborough, Newington, Rocky Hill, Simsbury, South Windsor, Tolland, Vernon, West Hartford, Wethersfield, Windsor
- Towns served: Meriden, Wallingford, Cheshire
- Towns served: Chester, Clinton, Cromwell, Deep River, Durham, East Haddam, East Hampton, Essex, Haddam, Killingworth, Middlefield, Middletown, Portland, Old Saybrook, Westbrook
- Towns served: Berlin, Bristol, Burlington, New Britain, Plainville, Plymouth, Southington
- Towns served: Bozrah, Colchester, East Lyme, Franklin, Griswold, Groton, Lebanon, Ledyard, Lisbon, Lyme, Montville, New London, North Stonington, Norwich, Old Lyme, Preston, Salem, Sprague, Stonington, Voluntown, Waterford
Domestic Violence Crisis Center (2 locations)
- Towns served: Darien, New Canaan, Norwalk, Weston, Westport, Wilton
- Town served: Stamford
- Towns served: Canaan, Cornwall, Kent, North Canaan, Salisbury, Sharon
- Towns served: Barkhamsted, Colebrook, Goshen, Hartland, Harwinton, Litchfield, Morris, New Hartford, Norfolk, Thomaston, Torrington, Warren, Washington, Winchester
- Towns served: Bethlehem, Cheshire, Middlebury, Naugatuck, Prospect, Southbury, Waterbury, Watertown, Wolcott, Woodbury