An Alabama nonprofit that serves victims of domestic violence and sexual assault across four South Alabama counties received a major infusion of state funding, with Gov. Robert Bentley awarding three separate grants totaling roughly $232,000 to the Baldwin County Violence Project.
The organization provides services across Baldwin, Escambia, Conecuh and Monroe counties, and the largest portion of the funding, about $150,900, will go toward emergency shelter, a 24-hour crisis line, counseling and advocacy for domestic violence victims across all four counties. A second grant of roughly $28,300 will extend sexual assault services specifically to victims in Baldwin and Escambia counties, while a third award of about $22,750 directs sexual assault services to Conecuh and Monroe counties.
The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs, known as ADECA, is administering the grants using funds made available through the U.S. Department of Justice. The state agency oversees a wide range of programs beyond victim services, including law enforcement support, infrastructure, water resource management and workforce development, but officials highlighted the violence prevention funding as a priority given rising demand for these services regionally. The grants will be supplemented by roughly $58,000 in matching funds.
Joanne Sheils, executive director of The Lighthouse, the organization that runs the Baldwin County Violence Project, said the state funding is essential to keeping the programs running at all. She described a collaborative approach that draws on multiple community partners to serve both men and women affected by abuse, rather than operating in isolation from other local systems.
Sheils noted that reports of sexual assault in Baldwin County tend to climb during the summer months, a pattern she attributed partly to more residents being out and about as the weather warms. The organization, now in its 13th year of operation, pairs advocates with victims to assess immediate needs and connect them with additional community resources when necessary, whether that means medical care, legal assistance or longer-term housing support.
Beyond state and federal grant dollars, the Baldwin County Violence Project relies heavily on private donations to keep its full range of services free for victims who seek help. Organizers say that combination of public funding and community support has allowed the program to expand its reach across the four-county service area even as demand for shelter and crisis intervention services has grown.
Anyone in Baldwin, Escambia, Conecuh or Monroe counties who needs assistance related to domestic violence or sexual assault can reach the organization’s crisis line, which operates around the clock to connect callers with local shelter, counseling and advocacy resources.