The D.C. City Council has approved the transfer of $4.5 million from a federally funded crime victims' fund to increase the number of beds in shelters for domestic abuse victims in D.C.
The money will pay for a considerable increase in the number of emergency and transitional beds available in the city. Currently, two nonprofit groups, House of Ruth and My Sister's Place, are responsible for all the beds available to domestic violence victims in D.C. They work with only a small grant from the city government.
Nadine Hathaway, a spokeswoman for My Sister's Place, told The Washington Post that an estimated 500 to 700 female victims of domestic violence would be aided every year by additional beds.
The executive director of House of Ruth, Christel Nichols, told The Post, "This shows a willingness for the city to work on this more. It's a responsible thing."
Councilman Kwame Brown spearheaded the effort with the support of Mayor Anthony Williams. The legislation Brown is backing would use marriage-license and domestic-partnership certificate fees to pay for some of the additional beds.
"The important thing is to get the money out onto the streets. Right now it is just sitting there in an account," Brown told The Post.
The council will hold a hearing on the proposal in the near future.
