HARRISBURG, PA — Advocates, survivors, and legislators are uniting at the Pennsylvania State Capitol today, May 7, to call for a greater investment in domestic violence services.

This event marks the beginning of the Real Cost of Domestic Violence Campaign, led by the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence (PCADV), to address the financial crisis threatening domestic violence services across the state.

Pennsylvania’s domestic violence programs serve 90,000 victims a year but have not seen a meaningful budget increase in half a decade. PCADV’s CEO, Susan Higginbotham, says chronic underfunding has reached a critical tipping point, with many programs struggling to maintain essential services.

Recent statistics show a sharp increase in unmet service requests, with more than 800 calls for help going unanswered on a single day in Pennsylvania—more than double the number in 2022—because of financial constraints.

“These statistics represent lives at risk,” said Higginbotham. In 2022, 104 Pennsylvanians lost their lives to domestic violence—an alarming trend that Pennsylvania cannot afford to ignore, she said.

The rally is pushing for a $8 million increase in the domestic violence line item in the 2024-25 state budget.

Sen. Judy Schwank (D-11), Sen. Camera Bartolotta (R-46), Rep. La’Tasha D. Mayes (D-24), and Rep. Natalie Mihalek (R-40) led a bipartisan, bicameral letter of support for PCADV’s request.

“Despite overwhelming bipartisan support and an escalating need, funding for these essential programs had stagnated for the last five years, leaving services at a breaking point,” Higginbotham said. “The time to act is now.”