The organizations help domestic violence victims with services like 24-hour telephone help lines, emergency shelter, safety planning, counseling and more. The grants also will help the organizations focus on prevention and will fund community outreach measures to raise awareness of the issue and available services. The nonprofit groups also offer programs that counsel abusers to help change behavior.

“There is professional, caring help available 24 hours a day for victims of domestic violence in Alabama,” Ivey said. “I commend these organizations for the work they do to help victims, but also the effort they put in to attempt to prevent this problem.”

The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs is administering the grants from funds made available through the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act, a program under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The following grants were awarded:

• $81,914 to 2nd Chance, Inc. which serves Calhoun, Cleburne, Etowah and Talladega counties.
• $105,680 to Crisis Services of North Alabama which serves Jackson, Limestone, Madison and Morgan counties.
• $44,777 to Domestic Violence Crisis Services which serves Cherokee, DeKalb and Marshall counties.
• $107,650 to Safeplace Inc. which serves Colbert, Franklin, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Marion and Winston counties.
• $21,638 to Victim Services of Cullman Inc. which serves Cullman County.

“ADECA joins Gov. Ivey in support of the work the staff members and volunteers of these organizations do each day to assistance those who are escaping abusive situations and taking steps to recover and rebuild their lives,” ADECA Director Kenneth Boswell said.

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