Kamil Zihnioglu / AP
This story is part of a special episode of Sound Ideas airing March 12, marking the one-year anniversary of COVID s arrival in McLean County. Find more stories in the series.
For the past year the pandemic has aggravated many drivers of domestic violence substance abuse, financial worries, being stuck at home. But it’s also muffled the true scope of the problem, with researchers just beginning to understand if COVID caused a spike in domestic violence.
But one message is crystal clear: There are a lot of resources in McLean County to get help, and those on the front lines see several new options for attacking one of society’s most invisible crimes.
Carrie Ward, the executive director of the Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault, said the budget impasse led to a loss of institutional knowledge in rape crisis centers across the state.
Rape crisis centers are facing many hardships during the pandemic. Many are struggling to maintain services their clients rely on and balance budgets. Center leaders say it’s a repeat of what they went through during the Illinois budget impasse.
In January, the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority put out a study about how the two-year state budget impasse affected rape crisis centers. Many social services went without state funding, and rape crisis centers had to find ways to adapt. The study reveals criminal justice advocacy dropped by 25%, while individual counseling across the state fell even more. The effects were worse for rural rape crisis centers.
Years Later, Illinois Rape Crisis Centers Still Recovering From Budget Impasse peoriapublicradio.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from peoriapublicradio.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.