TOWANDA, PA – In Bradford County today, Lt. Gov. Austin Davis emphasized how local organizations across the Commonwealth – including in rural communities like Towanda – are working to make their communities safer and reduce domestic and intimate partner violence, with support from the Violence Intervention and Prevention (VIP) state grant program.
“The great thing about the VIP program is that it supports a wide range of models and relies on local organizations, like SAFE, that are in tune with what their community needs,” said Davis, who leads the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD). “With this year’s proposed budget, the Governor and I want to increase funding for VIP grants by an additional $10 million. We know these programs and strategies work. We need to get them into more communities.”
PCCD recently approved $45 million in VIP grant funding, to 66 organizations across Pennsylvania. There were nearly 190 applicants for the latest round of grants. The proposed 2025-26 budget includes a $10 million increase for the VIP program.
Supporting Area Families Everyday (SAFE) is receiving $125,243 to expand its Supervised Visitation and Parent Education Program, which focuses on reducing domestic violence by providing safe environments for families during custody exchanges and teaching parents emotional self-regulation skills to prevent conflict. The VIP grant will increase service capacity by 25 percent over the next two years and strengthen family resilience and build safer, more stable communities.
Several domestic/intimate partner violence organizations received VIP grants in the latest round, including:
- A Woman’s Place – Bucks County – $635,955
- Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence (PCADV) – Statewide – $950,000
- Women’s Center & Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh – Allegheny County – $500,000
- Women’s Center of Beaver County – Beaver County – $887,767
In 2023, homicides decreased by 16 percent across Pennsylvania – greater than the national average. However, during that same time period, gun-related domestic violence homicides increased by 14 percent statewide, according to PCADV.