In The News

The day after a wife dies, domestic violence opponents press lawmakers to restore cut funds
Activists call on House to reject proposed $1M cut
By John P. Kelly
The Patriot Ledger
Apr 24, 2008

While an Abington man was being arraigned Wednesday on charges that he shot to death his 29-year-old wife, lobbyists converged on Beacon Hill to demand that House lawmakers restore a proposed $1 million cut in funding to domestic violence programs.

The murder Tuesday of Barbara Tassinari, victims and advocates said, is another tragic example of why domestic violence treatment and prevention programs need more money. It was the eleventh domestic-violence related murder in Massachusetts this year, they said.

“People come to us in the middle of the night … and they are truly running for their lives,” said Stephanie Flaherty, executive director of DOVE Inc. in Quincy, which shelters 150 families and answers 1,500 crisis calls yearly.

“It’s disturbing to me, with a 289 percent increase in the past two years in deaths related to domestic violence, that we would even be considering cutting funding,” Flaherty said.

House leaders, faced with an estimated funding shortfall of $1.3 billion, made more than $100 million in spending cuts last week. Among them was a $1.3 million cut from more than $30 million Gov. Deval Patrick proposed for domestic violence programs.

Mary Lauby, executive director of the nonprofit coalition Jane Doe Inc., pointed out that the House budget proposal calls for an increase to the Department of Social Service budget while slashing the domestic violence budget.

“It doesn't make sense in light of the fact that domestic violence homicides are predictable and preventable,” Lauby said.

The House begins debate on the fiscal 2009 spending plan next week. If approved, the cut would mean $1 million in decreased funding for service providers and support organizations.

Programs that could lose out include Brockton Family and Community Resources and South Shore Women’s Resource Center in Plymouth.

Lauby said many programs are caught in a “horrible spiral” of trying to help a growing number of victims with stagnant funding.

Last year there were 55 domestic violence-related deaths in Massachusetts, the most in 15 years, Jane Doe Inc. spokeswoman Toni Troop said.

Rep. Peter Koutoujian, D-Waltham, serves on the board of REACH, which provides emergency shelter and support to victims in his district. He attributes that increase in part to a shortage of funding for local programs and outreach services.

“We simply don’t have enough beds to get people out of harmful situations safely,” said Koutoujian, who has signed on to several budget amendments to increase domestic violence funding.

Gatehouse News Service contributed to this report

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