Federal funding cut threatens Maine’s domestic violence and abuse initiatives

May 19, 2025

May 19, 2025 | See the full story at WGME

Domestic abuse is one of Maine’s biggest issues. Annually, nearly half of the state’s homicides are perpetrated by a family member or current or former partner of the victim. Since the 1970s, Maine has looked to domestic violence advocates for leadership in the state’s response to this persistent problem. Unfortunately, funding for their work is now in crisis.

According to the Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence (MCEDV), funding from the state for the services provided by MCEDV’s members has lagged. They have relied upon money from the federal government to keep core services running and provide opportunities for innovation.

“We decided it was time to again ask the Legislature for Maine to pay its fair share for these services that they say they rely upon us for,” said Francine Garland Stark, Executive Director of MCEDV, at the 132nd Legislature.

The last increase in state funding for domestic and sexual violence services came in 2019 and was the first in nearly two decades. MCEDV was already working on LD 875: An Act to Fund Essential Services for Victims of Domestic Violence when new threats to the network’s federal funding emerged.

“They froze and then unfroze our current federal funds; then removed the notices that would allow us to apply for continuation grants for next year,” explained Stark.

Some of the grant notices were released last week on May 6. It is unclear what impact the 3-month delay and additional grant requirements aligned with executive orders will have on domestic violence programs, which need the renewal funding approved and in hand by the start of the new fiscal year on October 1 to sustain as many as 20 advocate positions statewide.

Additional cutbacks in the advocacy workforce would come on the heels of the pandemic, which increased danger for people experiencing abuse. Between 2019 and 2024, calls to the crisis helplines run by MCEDV’s members rose 22%. Concurrently, advocate positions funded by the state decreased by 27%, and volunteerism, long relied upon to cover night and weekend helpline shifts, fell by 54%.

In this context, support for LD 875 is more important than ever, explained Rebecca Austin, Executive Director of MCEDV’s Safe Voices member.

“What if there were no Safe Voices for me to call that day? Who would I have called? Who would have helped calm the anxiety I felt? I am not alone in these feelings. The amount of domestic violence is rising. We need funding for more services.”

– Shannon White, survivor

“We are struggling to keep up with the rising number of survivors seeking support, and we’ve been operating at full capacity with limited staff and insufficient funding for years.”

Safe Voices serves Oxford, Franklin, and Androscoggin Counties. There have been 21 domestic violence homicides in that region since 2020.

Austin said that her organization has had to reduce staff in recent years and notes, “This growing gap between need and availability jeopardizes the safety of survivors and hinders their ability to access critical support.”

It’s also crucial that Mainers demand a functioning response to abuse from the federal government, said Stark. “If there aren’t staffers in federal offices to review the grant applications and make the payments, then whether funding is technically ‘available’ won’t matter, because it will not get to the programs that need it to operate. And survivors are the ones who pay that price.”

Shannon White, a survivor who sought support from Safe Voices, agreed,

“What if there were no Safe Voices for me to call that day? Who would I have called? Who would have helped calm the anxiety I felt? I am not alone in these feelings. The amount of domestic violence is rising. We need funding for more services.”

LD 875 received a unanimous Ought to Pass as Amended vote from the Legislature’s Health & Human Services Committee on April 8. It faces a tough journey through the appropriations process amidst continuing federal uncertainty.

The Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence serves a network of ten members throughout the state, helping them support survivors of abuse. Visit www.mcedv.org to learn how MCEDV continues to not only combat domestic abuse but also inform the public’s understanding of this rising issue.