Violence Against Women Act Supports Laurel House, Montco Organizations

Last year, 530 adults were turned away from a shelter in Bucks and Montgomery counties due to lack of room, said a report on PhillyBurbs.com.

"Should Congress fail to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), which pays for programs that help victims of domestic violence, U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., said it would encourage 'a terrible, horrific betrayal of who we are as a people' and make it more difficult to help victims," said the article.

VAWA, according to WhiteHouse.gov's fact sheet, is credited with decreasing domestic violence against women by 67 percent from 1993 to 2010.

The fact sheet calls the Act a "landmark federal legislation’s comprehensive approach to violence against women combined tough new provisions to hold offenders accountable with programs to provide services for the victims of such violence."

Casey is joined by republicans Jim Gerlach, Michael Fitzpatrick and Patrick Meehan, all of Pennsylvania, who also support the passing of VAWA immediately. The three signed a letter in support of its reauthorization on Tuesday, according to an article on LegalInsurrection.com.

In Montgomery County alone, the Laurel House in Norristown and the Women’s Center of Montgomery County "answered a combined 13,700 hotline calls, provided 5,300 shelter days and 15,000 hours of counseling," according to PhillyBurbs.com.

For a full run-down of updates on VAWA, visit this Huffington Post compilation of news regarding the Act.