Loebsack Visits Crisis Intervention Services
Nancy Robertson, Executive Director for Crisis Intervention Services, (left) speaks with Congressman Dave Loebsack (center) about the Crisis Intervention Services program and how funding has and will impact the program.
Oskaloosa, Iowa – Listening and learning was the purpose of a visit by U.S. Congressman Dave Loebsack (D). Loebsack visited Crisis Intervention Services on Monday afternoon to hear staff input on how funding issues are impacting those services they provide.
Currently, Crisis Intervention Services covers 4 counties in Iowa: Lucas, Marion, Keokuk and Mahaska, but that coverage area looks to be expanding. In recent days, the organization has been informed that due to fiscal cuts, they will be a part of a 13 county region.
“This is really important to me. I’m really anxious to hear about your operations and the federal connection as well. I know that a lot of folks are going to be struggling with sequestration,” Loebsak stated in his opening remarks. He added, “We are in a highly constrained fiscal environment in Washington D.C.. At the state level as well and at the local level, no doubt.”
Nancy Robertson, the Executive Director for Crisis Intervention Services, updated the Congressman about the current status of the program and how things are going to be changing in the near future. “We are undergoing redistricting as well,” Robertson explained.
Robertson says that Crisis Intervention Services currently operates a 24 bed shelter in Oskaloosa for victims of domestic abuse and sexual assault. They also operate four transitional housing units that, combined with the shelter, served approximately 1000 people last year. Robertson says that is a 29% increase from the previous fiscal year.
The number of “bed nights” that was served also increased by 72% during the same timeframe. “We are seeing victims that are with us and they’re with us for a much longer period of time than say fiscal year 2011,” Robinson explained.
CIS saw a decrease of over $28,000 last year, which is enough to help provide another advocate for those in need. Federal funding comes from VOCA or Victims of Crime Act. This fund is financed by the penalties and fines that are paid by convicted federal offenders.
Recently, Congressman Loebsack has announced that he will be donating a portion of his Congressional pay to local charities in response to the sequestration. CIS appears to be on that list of charities. “This will be one of the organizations I will be giving it to,” Loebsack said. “It’s not so much about my giving to these organizations, which is something I want to do, it’s also to shine a light on exactly what’s happening as a result of sequestration and budget cutbacks and the people those cutbacks are hurting.”
Even with his donation, Loebsack believes that depending upon private and business donations alone isn’t enough, “that’s not going to solve the problem, that’s not going to fill the gaps, we still need to have that funding at the federal and state levels to make sure these programs can do the things they need to do.”
“If you look at the data, clearly it does affect the services here.” He went on to say, “it effects those who are serviced by this kind of an organization. They can’t do everything they did before, so then the services themselves are going to be highly constrained and it’s not going to be good for the folks that they serve out there in the community.”
Before catching a plane back to Washington, Loebsack toured the CIS facilities and spoke with staff about the program.
