County Moving to Grant DAIS $2 Million to Help Complete Construction of New Facility for Domestic Violence Victims
May 01, 2014
Casey Slaughter Becker, Office of the County Executive 608.267.8823 or cell, 608.843.8858
County Executive
The county is moving forward on plans to award a $2 million grant to Domestic Abuse Intervention Services of Dane County (DAIS) to help complete construction of a new facility for domestic violence victims on Madison’s north side, Dane County Executive Joe Parisi announced today. Parisi first announced the grant last year as a major initiative in his 2014 budget proposal.
“A tremendous community effort has helped make the dream of this much-needed safe haven for survivors of domestic violence and their families a reality,” said Parisi. “Being a part of this effort has been a true honor. Working together, we all have an opportunity to provide a beacon of hope for survivors of domestic violence, and ultimately, to prevent domestic violence from happening in Dane County.”
Domestic Abuse Intervention Services (DAIS) has been conducting a multi-million dollar capital campaign for the last two years to raise funds for the construction and operation of a facility on Fordem Avenue in Madison.
Dane County is home to more than 500,000 residents and DAIS runs the county’s only shelter for victims of domestic violence and their children. The existing shelter is the smallest domestic violence shelter per capita in the entire state of Wisconsin.
Despite these challenges, DAIS has continued to expand its programs and partnerships, serving thousands of women, children, and men in Dane County each year as they work towards safety.
The new facility will be four-times bigger than the current domestic violence shelter and help survivors get their lives back on track and protect them from homelessness and further violence.
DAIS’ capital campaign will continue after construction of their facility is complete to help fund the additional programming, staff, and outreach necessary to meet the growing needs of survivors of domestic violence in our community.
The organization’s campaign has helped raise awareness of domestic abuse in Dane County, which has in turn increased the need for the services DAIS provides.
“All of us at DAIS are incredibly grateful for the support of the construction of this project by County Executive Parisi and the Dane County Board,” said Shannon Barry, Executive Director of DAIS. “In January we announced that we were just a ‘Million Miles From Home,’ meaning we had $1,000,000 left to raise to support our expanded program operations before doors open in August. We’ve made significant progress but still have dollars to raise. By meeting this goal we will open the doors with a strong financial position and increased capacity to serve Dane County.”
A resolution authorizing the grant award will be introduced at the Thursday, May 2ndmeeting of the Dane County Board by Supervisor Maureen McCarville. McCarville also serves on the county’s Commission on Sensitive Crimes.
“I am so proud that once again Dane County has stepped up to the plate to protect and assist the most vulnerable and defenseless citizens in our communities,” said McCarville. “Victims of domestic abuse will now have a safe haven that will provide them immediate shelter and hope for a future free of further abuse. The tremendous amount of hard work and dedication that has gone into this project will undoubtedly and positively impact victims’ lives.”
A vote to approve the $2 million grant could be approved as early as the County Board’s meeting on Thursday, May 15th.
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