RICHMOND, Va. - Imagine you are a victim of domestic violence or abuse, and you have a court order against your abuser. You feel unsafe in your home and want to move - to be out of harm's way. Now, imagine your landlord will not let you out of your lease and you are being sued for rent, even though you have left the apartment.

This scenario is all too common, according to Christine Marra, an attorney with the Virginia Poverty Law Center. That's why she and other advocates worked to pass legislation that would allow domestic violence victims to be released from their lease, she said.

"When this new law becomes effective, a woman will be able to give her landlord 30 days' notice in writing of her status as a survivor and ask that the lease terminate," Marra explained.

The lease will be terminated as long as the victim has either a family abuse protective order in effect or an order from the court showing her abuser has been convicted of a crime of domestic or sexual violence or abuse, Marra said. Under the new law, the landlord would be obligated to let the survivor out of their lease. The bill is waiting for the governor's signature. Marra would like to see it signed as is, without amendments.

One of the leading causes of homelessness among women is domestic violence, Marra added. This is especially true in Fairfax, where many cases have been documented, she said, and the new law will allow victims to get out of unsafe situations and on with their lives.

"Women or any survivor of domestic violence or sexual violence will no longer have to choose between staying in an unsafe home and running the risk of having judgments and bad credit scores follow her to her next location," Marra said.

Getting the legislation passed was a collaborative effort with several organizations in addition to the Virginia Poverty Law Center, including the Virginia Coalition to End Homelessness, Virginia Sexual and Domestic Action Alliance and Virginia Association of Realtors.

The full legislation, SB 1004, is available at http://tinyurl.com/afalfjd.




get more stories like this via email

Advocates are urging Ohio lawmakers to preserve critical funding for rape crisis centers in the upcoming state budget.

The request comes amid deep federal cuts and growing demand for services across the state.

Supporters of House Bill 96 say the $15 million state allocation it provides would fund emergency hotlines, hospital accompaniment, legal advocacy, and education efforts.

Rosa Beltré, president and CEO of the Ohio Alliance to End Sexual Violence, said thousands could be left without help if the bill doesn't pass.

"This is about telling survivors, 'we are here, we believe you,'" said Beltré. "'And when everything fails, we will continue to support the programs that are giving you, your autonomy, your voices, your visibility back, because it was lost in a rape.'"

Between October 2023 and September 2024, Ohio's rape crisis centers responded to over 40,000 hotline calls and provided more than 5000 hours of legal advocacy each week.

Beltré added that a gap created by a 77% drop in federal funds provided by the Victims of Crime Act could leave centers struggling to meet demand.

She said the impact of sexual violence ripples far beyond the immediate trauma.

"Within their families, within their household," said Beltré, "their mental health, their ability for sustaining a job, their ability for healing. They won't be able to contribute financially to society."

Ohio lawmakers are considering the final version of the 2026 budget in coming weeks. Advocates say preserving the full $15 million will safeguard essential services and show survivors they are not alone.

A new report showed programs serving domestic violence survivors in Ohio are stretched thin, with hundreds of people who need help being turned away due to lack of shelter.

Their advocates said maintaining state funding is critical to meet the growing demand for services.

Mary O'Doherty, executive director of the Ohio Domestic Violence Network, said the latest 24-hour census highlighted the strain on programs across the state.

"During that time, our program served 2,701 victims," O'Doherty reported. "Our programs did not have enough resources to meet 347 requests for help. Most of the people who (were) turned away were looking for emergency shelter."

According to the 19th annual Domestic Violence Counts report, conducted by the National Network to End Domestic Violence, 100% of Ohio's 75 identified domestic violence programs participated in the national count on Sept. 4 of last year, providing shelter and services to thousands statewide.

The Ohio Domestic Violence Network reported one in every two people seeking help in the state was turned away during the count due to lack of funding. O'Doherty acknowledged Ohio lawmakers are under pressure to cut state spending this session but said advocates are pushing for funding to help survivors.

"There currently is $20 million in the Ohio budget for domestic violence services," O'Doherty pointed out. "Right now, there's an extraordinary amount of pressure to cut spending, public spending, and we are working hard to make sure that the Legislature keeps those funds in the budget."

As lawmakers debate the state budget, she added concerned Ohioans can contact their state senators to express support for maintaining funding for domestic violence shelters and survivor services at current levels.

New data show a 27% increase in rape kit testing across Mississippi since the state implemented a 2023 law requiring all new sexual assault evidence to be processed.

While officials report progress on addressing the backlog, advocates cautioned the full scope of untested kits remains unknown without a complete statewide inventory. The rise follows the required testing of all new sexual assault evidence, which experts said is helping to debunk common assumptions about sexual predators.

Ilse Knecht policy director for the Joyful Heart Foundation's End the Backlog initiative said testing is uncovering critical patterns about offenders.

"Rapists are not specialists. They commit all kinds of crimes, anything from homicide to burglary to domestic violence, child abuse, you name it," Knecht explained. "They commit crimes against people they know and people they don't know. They rape acquaintances and strangers, so they cross over, many of them, and they really don't stop until they're stopped."

Despite the clearance of some kits, Knecht stressed without a full audit of Mississippi's untested evidence shelved across hospitals and law-enforcement agencies, dangerous offenders likely remain unidentified.

Knecht argued the state's testing increase, while positive, only addresses part of the problem. She redirects focus to survivors, describing forensic exams as "very invasive and uncomfortable" even under ideal conditions.

"Nobody wants to go through that but survivors do it because they want that person who hurt them really to be held accountable," Knecht pointed out. "Many survivors that I talk to also say that they don't want that person to hurt anybody else."

Advocates said the findings underscore the need for continued testing and better coordination between law enforcement and victim services. As Mississippi works through its backlog, they say each processed kit could reveal connections to other unsolved crimes across the state.


get more stories like this via email