Gov. Evers, DCF announce grant to support domestic violence survivors in accessing child support resources
Gov. Tony Evers, together with Wisconsin Department of Children and Families (DCF) Secretary Emilie Amundson, today announced Wisconsin was recently awarded a $400,000 federal Safe Access for Victims’ Economic Security (SAVES) demonstration grant to implement comprehensive domestic violence services for survivors who need assistance accessing child support and parenting time services safely. The SAVES demonstration grant funding was awarded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families.
“Survivors of domestic violence deserve to be able to seek safety for themselves and their families without fear of losing the financial resources they need to take care of their kids,” said Gov. Evers. “With this federal grant, we’ll be able to better support parents who are survivors of domestic abuse as they work to rebuild their lives and achieve stability and financial security.”
“While there are many barriers to seeking safety, we know that financial security is one of the main barriers,” said DCF Secretary Amundson. “The SAVES demonstration grant will provide a pathway for domestic violence survivors to gain access to critical financial and parenting support to become financially empowered to live independent, violencefree lives.”
SAVES is a new national demonstration model designed to develop, evaluate, and implement best practices to provide safe and full access to child support and parenting time services. DCF, along with one Tribal child support agency in Wisconsin and 12 child support agencies across the country, will use the funding to implement comprehensive domestic violence safety policies, procedures, and outreach activities to increase access to child support and parenting time services for parents experiencing domestic violence. Wisconsin’s demonstration model, known as Wisconsin’s Network for Safety (WINS) in Child Support, will be implemented in Brown, Kenosha, and St. Croix counties.
The project period for the SAVES demonstration is five years, and the project builds upon Gov. Evers and DCF’s overall commitment to providing domestic violence survivors with specialized, trauma-informed care that allows them to heal, access financial support, and create safe, stable lives for themselves and their children.
