WASHINGTON — U.S. Sens Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., and U.S. Rep. Carol Shea-Porter, D-N.H., announced Tuesday that the Department of Justice (DOJ) has awarded $449,139 in federal funding through the Office on Violence Against Women to the Strafford County Family Justice Center (SCFJC) for programming that helps survivors of domestic violence.

Shaheen, the lead Democrat of the Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee, has led efforts in Congress to support survivors of domestic and sexual violence, and has secured historic federal funding through the yearly appropriations process to fund the Office on Violence Against Women.

“Boosting federal investments in the Office on Violence Against Women is vital to ensuring community partners like the Strafford County Family Justice Center have the resources they need to support survivors of domestic and sexual violence,” Shaheen said in a press release. That’s why I’ve continuously made funding for Violence Against Women Act programs a top priority and have fought to increase federal support over the years.”

“Survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking deserve justice,” said Hassan via a press release. “These federal grants will provide critical funding to our criminal justice system and victim service providers in Strafford County to better hold the perpetrators of these serious crimes accountable.

“Domestic violence and sexual assault are heinous crimes, and we have a duty to help fund local efforts to stop them,” Shea-Porter said via a press release. “This funding will help protect women in Strafford County, and will provide law enforcement with critical resources to support victims and enhance their response to these awful crimes.”

The federal grant will support both short- and long-term services, including case management, transportation assistance, child care and material assistance to survivors in need. The SCFJC was established in 2012, and partners with local law enforcement, health care providers and faith-based organizations to help survivors of domestic and sexual violence.

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