SCHUMER, GILLIBRAND ANNOUNCE NEARLY $800K IN FED FUNDING FOR ELDER AND DOMESTIC ABUSE PROGRAMS IN ALBANY COUNTY

Grants Will Be Used To Address Domestic Violence 

U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten E. Gillibrand today announced $795,251 in federal funding for the Senior Service Centers of the Albany Area’s Enhanced Training and Services to End Abuse in Later Life Programs and In Our Own Voices Inc.’s Grants for Outreach and Services to Underserved Populations Program in Albany County. Specifically, Senior Service Centers of the Albany Area will receive $393,251 to increase elder abuse services and In Our Own Voices, Inc. will receive $402,000 to develop and implement strategies to support youth and adult victims of abuse. The funding was allocated through the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Office on Violence Against Women.

“Domestic violence is never acceptable, no matter what age, and we must do all we can to both prevent it in the first place, and to take care of those who are victimized by it. Fortunately, there are organizations like Senior Service Centers of the Albany Area and In Our Own Voices, Inc. that are dedicated to providing outreach and counselling to victims and educating the public on how they can help stop these cruelties,” said Senator Schumer. “Eliminating domestic violence starts with educating residents and this investment will do just that. I am committed to doing everything I can to ensure organizations like these in the Capital Region have the resources they need to combat these horrible crimes.”

“This critical federal funding will help the Senior Service Centers of the Albany Area and In Our Own Voices develop and facilitate a wide range of programs to better assist domestic violence survivors,” said Senator Gillibrand. “Domestic violence is a serious problem and we need to work towards creating a safe environment for families. By increasing access to prevention programs we can help provide New York families and survivors with the support they need to be protected and put their lives back together.”

The Rural Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault and Stalking Assistance Program implements provisions of the Violence Against Women Act and provides grant funding to establish victim services in rural communities to child, youth, and adult victims, increase safety awareness programs, and work with law enforcement to reduce cases of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking assistance. The Consolidated Youth Program supports child, youth, and young adult centered prevention, intervention, and treatment services. The program also seeks to engage men through community organizing and outreach to train them as allies against domestic violence.

Senior Service Centers of the Albany Area’s Enhanced Training and Services to End Abuse in Later Life Programs works to train police, prosecutors, and the courts system to recognize, investigate, and prosecute instances of abuse, neglect, exploitation, domestic violence, and the sexual assault against elderly individuals. In Our Own Voices Grants for Outreach and Services to Underserved Populations Program develops outreach strategies to support victims of domestic violence dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking on underserved populations, and to provide victim services to meet the needs of such populations.

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