Yesterday, Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault (CCASA) joined a nationwide coalition in filing another lawsuit to challenge unlawful new grant restrictions from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that are forcing hundreds of nonprofit organizations, domestic violence and sexual assault coalitions, and a county safety net hospital to choose between accepting unlawful conditions or forgoing grant funding that is needed to offer critical services, support, and healthcare for communities. Children, youth and families, survivors of domestic and sexual violence, and other vulnerable groups will be affected if these new grant conditions are allowed to remain in place.
The administration is attempting to unlawfully impose grant restrictions on HHS grantees that will be immensely harmful to communities across the country. The grant restrictions prevent Plaintiffs from supporting transgender individuals, implementing diversity and inclusion practices that aim to address racial disparities, and using Housing First strategies that have been proven effective, among other policy directives drawn from a series of executive orders.
“At a time when sexual violence is very much in the public’s eye, it is beyond cruel for the administration to continue to attack and limit critical funding for survivor services. All survivors, especially those who are being targeted because of their identities—LGBTQIA+, people of color, immigrants—deserve, and are legally entitled to, access to essential services provided by our member programs. CCASA will continue to fight against these unlawful changes, which go against the principles written into legislation like the Violence Against Women Act, and the values upon which our work is founded,” said Brie Franklin, Executive Director, Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault.
Learn more about the lawsuit here.
How to Help
- Tell your elected officials to stand up for survivors and oppose discriminatory grant restrictions. Demand that they protect and support funding for gun violence, domestic violence, sexual assault, victims’ advocacy, and other essential programming. These programs should be EXPANDED not eliminated or restricted. 5Calls and Resistbot are free apps that put you in direct contact with your reps by phone and in writing – with pre-made scripts built right in.
- Donate to Advocates of Lake County. As victim services funding continues to dwindle, ALC needs your cash donations more than ever to maintain our programming. Your one-time or monthly gift goes directly to supporting ALC’s programming and services for victims, survivors, and community members at risk of violence and housing instability. Please consider a monthly recurring donation.
Note: ALC is a member of CCASA but is not specifically a plaintiff in this case.