Support Survivors of Gender-Based Violence

The League of Women Voters urges the City of Chicago to expand support for Chicago’s gender-based violence services. Read the written testimony of LWV Chicago President Jane Ruby, submitted to the Chicago City Council Committee on Health and Human Relations on September 23.

Chair and Members of the Committee,

On behalf of the League of Women Voters of Chicago, I submit this testimony to urge your continued and expanded support for Chicago’s gender-based violence (GBV) services.

Gender-based violence remains a public health and public safety crisis in our city. Survivors are reaching out for help in record numbersbut the services they depend on for shelter, counseling, legal assistance and more continue to be stretched thin.

At the federal level, funding streams that sustain these services are under severe threat. Cuts to the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) fund, instability in Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) grants, and reductions to CDC-supported prevention programs have already forced service providers nationwide to scale back or eliminate programs. Locally, Chicago bolstered its GBV budget to $21 million this year through federal relief dollars and housing surcharge funds. Yet those one-time resources are expiring, and without new commitments, the city’s GBV budget could be cut in half by year’s end.

These cuts would have devastating consequences. Shelters already operate at capacity, counseling waitlists stretch for months, and many survivors seeking protective orders lack adequate legal representation. Without stable funding, all survivors in general, and the most vulnerable in particular—Black and Brown women, LGBTQ+ individuals, and immigrant families—will be left with nowhere to turn.

Chicago must act decisively to fill the gap left by federal disinvestment. This means protecting existing allocations, identifying sustainable local revenue sources, and ensuring that shelters, hotlines, legal aid, counseling, and re-housing services remain accessible to all who need them. Lives depend on it.

The League of Women Voters of Chicago has a long history of advocating for gender equity and violence prevention. We urge this Council to safeguard and strengthen the city’s commitment to survivors. These services save lives, promote stability, and uphold Chicago’s values of fairness, dignity, and safety for all.

Thank you for your leadership and for your urgent attention to this matter.

Respectfully submitted,
Jane Ruby
President
League of Women Voters of Chicago