On July 21, during the VOCA signing ceremony, U.S. President Joe Biden shared a story that moved him – a story that End Abuse Director of Policy and Systems Change Jenna Gormal offered from her previous experience as a shelter advocate. As she lobbied for the #VOCAFix over the past several months, her advocacy included educating lawmakers about the complex dynamics of abuse and the need for stable funding for local programs.

On July 20, with an extraordinary vote of 100 to 0, the U.S. Senate passed H.R. 1652, the VOCA Fix to Sustain the Crime Victims Fund Act of 2021 ("VOCA Fix"). The bill will impact over 6,000 local domestic violence shelters, child abuse treatment programs, elder fraud and abuse services, rape crisis centers, and legal services programs in every U.S. state and territory.

The latest edition of Transformative, our quarterly newsletter for advocates & multi-disciplinary teams, is released for Summer 2021, with a focus on PRIDE MONTH! With dedicated sections including Local Voices, Policy Spotlights, and Practices for Healing and Accountability, Systems Change Coordinator Tegan Swanson provides tools to foster change, accountability, and healing in our personal and professional communities.

Each year, we ask all who use our services – domestic violence program staff, allies, & survivors statewide – to take a survey that asks: How can we best work together? From trainings & resources, to help and support, it’s a chance to tell us how we’ve done, reflect on where we are, and shape where we should go. Share your thoughts, and form the future of our work!

Founder and current NCALL Director, Bonnie Brandl, is retiring after 30 years of leadership at End Domestic Abuse Wisconsin. Brandl has worked in the gender-based violence movement since 1982, and as a recognized leader within the elder abuse field and domestic violence movement, Brandl’s career holds many notable accomplishments.

“My goal as Executive Director of End Domestic Abuse Wisconsin and more generally as a leader in anti-violence work is to facilitate the dismantling of white supremacy in the anti-violence movement and create a movement that serves all individuals who seek support and liberation.”

In the words of Mariame Kaba and Andrea Ritchie: “Ma’Khia Bryant matters not because the timing of her killing allows for a neat juxtaposition, but because her life does.”

“Gender-based violence, which takes many forms including harassment, workplace violence, stalking, and domestic violence, must be understood for what it is: a community issue that requires community-based solutions. It is too often dismissed as a personal or private matter, and known patterns that predict future violence are ignored by those with power to prevent harm. This recent tragedy demonstrates the far-reaching ramifications of not addressing root causes of violence."

Few things were highlighted more throughout 2020 than interconnection and the need to shift when something is broken. We were shown on a global scale that it is in the interconnectedness of people, of issues, and of support systems that we may find not only the source of our struggles, but also the solutions. To see how the coalition responded to the COVID-19 pandemic, view our 2019-20 Annual Report here.

Legislative advocacy is a unique and essential way we work to ensure the public policy landscape in WI is one that centers survivors and member programs across the state. This two-year agenda summarizes our advocacy stance on priorities like housing and homelessness, economic justice, the criminal legal system, prevention, transformative justice, racial equity, and dismantling white supremacy.