No woman, no man, no child and no family should ever live in fear. Everyone has an inherent right to a safe, self-determined life that is free of violence. This I know in my heart.

A family’s home should be a place of safety. But for some, it isn’t. For some, domestic violence threatens their personal safety and that of their loved ones. Domestic violence assaults comprise nearly half of all reported assaults in Maine, and domestic violence homicides make up nearly half of our state’s homicides.

Abusive relationships are extremely complex situations, and it takes an enormous amount of courage for survivors to leave. That’s why the security and support of our state’s domestic violence resource centers are critically important for the many survivors of domestic violence. The resource centers make it possible for those trapped in abusive relationships to find their way to a life free from trauma.

Maine has eight regional domestic violence resource centers and 13 emergency shelters throughout the state. The domestic violence resource centers provide not only shelter, but counseling, crisis intervention, support for economic stability, civil and criminal court advocacy and many other services. Collectively, the centers served more than 14,000 people last year.

Domestic violence resource centers are also valuable partners to law enforcement, child protective services and our courts. They provide essential support to law enforcement’s most complex cases. More than 30% of those served by the domestic violence provider network last year were connected to their services by police, child protective staff or court clerks.

All of the services offered at domestic violence resource centers are free, confidential and available 24/7. Without adequate, ongoing and reliable funding to support these services, domestic abuse survivors will lose access to resources that are necessary for healing, rebuilding and thriving. The state’s support for domestic violence services has not increased for six fiscal years, an increase that came after 20 years of flat funding. Costs, on the other hand, have increased exponentially — both to employ the highly-trained advocates needed to staff the centers, to operate the centers and shelters themselves.

Funding to keep our domestic violence resource centers open is a matter of life and death. That is why I am honored to co-sponsor LD 875, “An Act to Fund Essential Services for Victims of Domestic Violence,” alongside my colleague, Rep. Michele Meyer (House District 150). Our bill was passed unanimously out of the Health and Human Services Committee, which Rep. Meyer and I co-chair. It is now awaiting further votes in the House and Senate.

I will end with one of the many emotional stories I heard during testimony for this bill that inspired me to write about this issue today, and motivates me to continue to work hard to protect Mainers who need it most:

“… As time went on, the abuse got worse. My daughter was getting older, and she started having to bear his abusive tactics. My protection was not working anymore. One night I found myself at the emergency department getting stitches. It was there I saw a pamphlet for the (local) domestic violence resource center … I didn’t know it at the time, but my life was about to change.

“The next day when my abuser left for work, I made the call to their 24-hour helpline and spoke with an advocate I will call Mary. She supported me for two whole years. During this time (the resource center) provided us with a hotel room, and we eventually moved into a shelter. She guided me through the legal system, supported me in leaving and divorcing my abuser, and helped me gain full custody of my daughter. I went back to school, obtained a job at a pharmacy, bought a vehicle and was accepted into a rental assistance program and eventually gained housing independence. If it wasn’t for these programs and Mary’s support, I would not be where I am today.”

We must continue to support these vital services.

Folks in York County can get in touch with local services through Caring Unlimited’s 24/7 hotline at 1-800-239-7298.

Henry Ingwersen represents Senate District 32 which is made up of Arundel, Biddeford, Dayton, Hollis and Lyman. He can be reached at Henry.Ingwersen@legislature.maine.gov or 207-287-1515.