[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 189 (Wednesday, October 27, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1151]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





    FAMILY VIOLENCE PREVENTION AND SERVICES IMPROVEMENT ACT OF 2021

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. DANNY K. DAVIS

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 26, 2021

  Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong 
support of the Family Violence Prevention and Services Improvement Act. 
The Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence and its members have 
clearly communicated to me the critical nature of the Family Violence 
Prevention and Services funding and the improvements included in this 
legislation to Chicago and the state of Illinois.
  In 2020, these funds helped provide over 547,287 hours of service in 
Illinois, assisting 42,886 adult survivors of domestic violence and 
8,055 child witnesses. These dollars provided shelter, transportation 
and parental support, legal advocacy and education, crisis 
intervention, and connections to community resources. For example, 
Ascend Justice use these federal funds to support their vital work to 
obtain Orders of Protection for their clients.
  Similarly, Metropolitan Family Services used these funds to provide 
direct emergency support to their clients to help survivors of domestic 
violence to find or maintain safer housing, feed and clothe their 
families, protect themselves from COVID-19, and access lifesaving 
services remotely during the pandemic. Specifically, here are just a 
few ways Metropolitan Family Services used these funds:
  Provided rent and utility payment assistance of between $500 to $1000 
for 32 clients;
  Paid for five hotel shelter nights for a client who was unable to 
access other emergency shelter when she needed it;
  Provided grocery gift cards of between $50 to $250 per client for 18 
clients experiencing food insecurity;
  Provided clothing, toiletries, and/or PPE kits to 50 clients;
  Purchased and distributed educational materials about COVID-19 to 
clients and community members;
  Purchased eight Chromebooks to loan to clients to participate in 
remote domestic violence counseling services to overcome their lack of 
adequate technology; and
  Purchased four laptops for the Domestic Violence Court advocates, 
allowing them to continue assisting clients with Orders of Protection, 
legal referrals, and courtroom support while the Centralized Domestic 
Violence Courthouse in Chicago was operating remotely.
  These funds and services mean the difference between safety and harm, 
and I applaud this House for improving the Family Violence Prevention 
and Services program. I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this 
legislation.

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