Latest news with #DomesticViolence&SexualAssaultCenter
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Rutherford County domestic violence services could face devastating cuts
RUTHERFORD COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — Advocates for survivors of domestic violence in Middle Tennessee fear they could soon face cuts to staff and services. Organizations have requested Governor Bill Lee step in with $25 million in recurring funding. Ericka Downing is the executive director for the Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault Center in Murfreesboro. She estimated the organization will see a roughly 40% reduction in funding due to federal cuts on 'Victims of Crimes Act,' funding. That could mean a $250,000 to $350,000 hit to the organization's budget. Downing said that reduction will have a direct impact on the roughly 3,600 survivors her organization serves each year. RELATED: Push for TN funds to be dedicated to domestic violence survivors 'Rutherford County already does see a huge crime rate for domestic violence,' Downing said. 'Domestic violence and sexual assault are also under-reported.' The center has taken on nearly 300 new cases over the past two years. 'Removing those services from the county and reducing those services that may be available to survivors is going to be to the detriment of our county,' Downing said. Downing said the 40% cut could mean fewer emergency shelter beds, counseling waitlists going from a one-month wait to a three- or four-month wait, and cuts to staff who provide services such as rape exams and emergency order of protection filing. VOCA funding cuts will impact not only the Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault Center, but other victim services, such as organizations that offer human trafficking and child abuse services. The Domestic Violence Sexual Assault Center is one of multiple organizations across the state asking Governor Bill Lee for $25 million in recurring funding to help stay afloat. 'We are available 24/7, but if we don't have the funding to support, we have to really analyze and figure out what we're going to cut,' Downing explained. 'It's very hard to look someone in the eye and tell them that you can't help them because you don't have the funding in order to do it.' READ MORE | Latest headlines from Murfreesboro and Rutherford County Downing said much of the staff at the Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault Center are survivors themselves and feel called to the work that they do. She added that their emergency shelter is especially critical to have open the moment a victim is ready to seek help. The Tennessee Victim Service Providers Alliance asks the public to contact their state lawmakers and urge them to support adding the requested $25 million to the Governor's supplemental budget, set to be released at the end of March. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
28-01-2025
- Yahoo
Experts warn about domestic violence after baby, mother shot in Murfreesboro
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WKRN) — Experts have issued warnings about how quickly domestic violence situations can turn deadly after police said an argument may be to blame for the death of a 1-year-old Sunday afternoon. According to Murfreesboro police, a dispute over loud music may have led to an altercation at the Chelsea Place Apartments. Investigators said the baby's mother and 24-year-old Marquavious Hampton got into an altercation that ended with Hampton allegedly shooting the infant multiple times. The mother's hand was also shot as she tried to shield her child. PREVIOUS: Baby dead, mother injured after dispute over 'loud music' at Murfreesboro apartment complex 'About 53% of the calls that Murfreesboro Police Department go on, on a yearly basis, are domestic violence in nature,' executive director of the Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault Center, Ericka Downing, said. 'We're the fourth largest county in the state. Unfortunately, as the population increases, so does crime.' Downing said domestic violence cases have even outpaced the area's population growth. She urged those in these situations to seek help, and for neighbors to watch for red flags. 'The emotional abuse, the psychological abuse, the financial abuse — all those things escalate,' Downing said. 'And something innocent can end in death.' According to police, Hampton was located in Williamson County thanks to license plate recognition technology. After running from deputies, police said he fatally shot himself. READ MORE | Latest headlines from Murfreesboro and Rutherford County 'It takes, on average, seven times for someone to leave a domestic violence relationship,' Downing said. 'And each time someone decides to leave that circle, that cycle of violence goes around quicker and quicker and quicker.' According to Downing, one in three women and one in four men will experience domestic violence during their lifetime. For anyone seeking help, including friends and family of victims or survivors, you can reach out to the Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Center directly or call the Domestic Violence Hotline at 615-896-2012. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
