By Staff Reports

Gov. Kay Ivey has pledged additional support for victims of domestic violence through the state’s Domestic Violence Trust Fund. One of the receiving agencies, the Montgomery Area Family Violence Program (Family Sunshine Center) serves victims in Autauga, Butler, Chilton, Crenshaw, Elmore, Lowndes and Montgomery counties.

Fourteen domestic violence shelters, including the Montgomery area center, will be the recipients of trust fund revenues which are generated through a marriage recording fee. The trust fund, distributed on a quarterly basis, was created by the Alabama Legislature in 2015 and endorsed by then Lt. Gov. Ivey, who continues to support the program and its assistance to domestic violence victims.

Ivey also awarded $105,757 through the trust fund to the Alabama Coalition Against Domestic Violence which monitors and assists regional domestic violence agencies, and $80,000 to the state Office of Prosecution Services, which investigates and prosecutes domestic violence cases.

“These funds are key to helping provide safe havens for domestic violence victims and innocent family members who must escape abusive situations,” Ivey said. “I commend those agencies and their staff members who are committed to helping people escape volatile situations and rebuild their lives.”

Appropriations to each agency are determined by several factors, including service area population and the number of domestic violence occurrences within those service areas.

The trust fund is managed by the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA).

“Gov. Ivey has continually demonstrated her concern for domestic violence victims and family members by backing measures like the Domestic Violence Trust Fund,” ADECA Director Kenneth Boswell said. “ADECA joins the governor in her support of these organizations and the work they do.”

In the first three quarters of 2024, a total of $1.1 million was distributed to domestic violence agencies to assist victims. Funding for the regional agencies is based directly on the amount of marriage recording fees collected.

Other agencies receiving trust fund monies and the areas they serve are:

* Safeplace Inc. – Colbert, Franklin, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Marion and Winston counties.

* AshaKiran Inc. – Madison County.

* Crisis Services of North Alabama- Jackson, Madison and Morgan counties.

* Domestic Violence Crisis Services – Cherokee, DeKalb and Marshall counties.

* Victim Services Cullman Inc. – Cullman County.

* Family Resource Center of Northwest Alabama – Walker County.

* Second Chance Inc. – Calhoun, Cherokee, Cleburne, Etowah, Randolph and Talladega counties.

* SAN Inc. (Turning Point) – Bibb, Fayette, Greene, Hale, Lamar, Marengo, Pickens, Sumter and Tuscaloosa counties.

* SafeHouse of Shelby County- Chilton, Coosa and Shelby counties.

* Domestic Violence Intervention Center – Chambers, Lee, Macon, Randolph and Tallapoosa counties.

* The House of Ruth – Barbour, Bullock, Coffee, Covington, Dale, Geneva, Henry, Houston and Pike counties.

* Penelope House – Choctaw, Clarke, Mobile and Washington counties.

* Baldwin Family Violence Shelter (The Lighthouse) – Baldwin, Conecuh, Escambia and Monroe counties.

ADECA administers a wide range of programs that support law enforcement, victim programs, economic development, water resource management, energy conservation and recreation.