Section 102 COVID Domestic Violence Safety Trust

(a) There shall be a COVID-19 Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Survivors' Safety Trust Fund. The fund shall be administered by the department of public health, in consultation with the executive office of public safety.

(b) The fund shall consist of: (i) appropriations or monies authorized by the general court and specifically designated to be credited to the fund; and (ii) funds from public or private sources including, but not limited to, gifts, grants, donations and rebates received by the commonwealth. Monies in the fund that are unexpended at the end of the fiscal year shall not revert to the General Fund and shall be available for expenditure in the following fiscal year.

(c) The funds shall be expended, without further appropriation, to provide grants to support domestic and sexual violence liaisons, advocacy and outreach in communities throughout the commonwealth. The grants shall be administered by the department of public health as follows:

(i) 50 per cent of the funds shall be expended to local public safety organizations who: (1) have domestic and sexual violence liaisons as employees or volunteers; or (2) partner with domestic and sexual violence liaisons. The grants shall support expanding resources and services to domestic and sexual violence survivors during the outbreak of the 2019 novel coronavirus; provided, that the grants may be used to: (1) enhance and expand services for domestic and sexual violence survivors and children witnessing or exposed to domestic or sexual violence, including safety planning, counseling and support and emergency services, including medical care, safe phones, food and transportation; (2) expand access to translator services for liaisons working with domestic and sexual violence survivors; (3) develop and expand access to virtual services, supports and programs; and (4) establish an information and outreach campaign, in multiple languages, to provide information about the availability of services and supports for domestic and sexual violence survivors.

(ii) 50 per cent of the funds shall be expended to support community-based or residential domestic and sexual violence programs and rape crisis centers to: (1) enhance and expand services for domestic and sexual violence survivors and children witnessing or exposed to domestic violence including, but not limited to, advocacy in 1 or more of the following areas: (a) medical; (b) criminal or civil legal advocacy; (c) housing; (d) culturally and linguistically specific; and (e) basic needs, including food, communication, technology and transportation; and (2) develop and expand access to virtual services, supports and programs.

(d) The department of public health, in consultation with the executive office of public safety and security, shall determine the criteria for the award of grants to local public safety organizations with domestic and sexual violence liaisons pursuant to clause (i) of subsection (c). The criteria shall include the ability to: (i) provide an enhanced response to survivors of domestic and sexual violence; (ii) connect survivors with local providers and other resources within the community; and (iii) address the needs of diverse populations, including diverse ethnic, cultural, linguistic and LGBTQ populations; provided, that grants shall be awarded to local public safety organizations in diverse geographic areas throughout the commonwealth.

(e) The department of public health shall determine the criteria for the award of the grants to community based or residential domestic violence programs and rape crisis centers pursuant to clause (ii) of subsection (c). The criteria shall include the ability to provide: (i) enhanced advocacy and outreach for survivors of domestic and sexual violence; or (ii) innovative approaches to meet the complex needs of survivors of domestic and sexual violence.

(f) Not later than July 1, 2021, the department of public health shall submit a report to the clerks of the house and senate, the house and senate committees on ways and means and the joint committee on public health. The report shall include: (i) the communities with local public safety organizations in receipt of the grant funding, including geographic location in the commonwealth; (ii) the communities with community based or residential domestic and sexual violence programs or rape crisis centers in receipt of the grant funding, including geographic location in the commonwealth; (iii) a breakdown of the amount each community received; (iv) a description of the type of expanded services, information campaign or other supports and resources offered by the local public safety organizations as a result of the grant funding; and (v) a description of the enhanced advocacy and outreach for survivors of domestic and sexual violence and other innovative approaches to meet the complex needs of survivors offered by community based or residential domestic and sexual violence programs and rape crisis centers as a result of the grant funding.