With the support of Massachusetts Senators Elizabeth Warren, Edward Markey, and Congressman William Keating representing the 9th District in Massachusetts, Independence House, Inc. has been awarded $3,460,000 as part of the Omnibus Spending Bill of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (H.R.2617).
This award is the largest single award out of 21 projects in the state.
The announcement was made today in a joint press conference arranged by Keating’s office in collaboration with Warren and Markey’s offices at the Mary Pat Flynn Conference Room in Barnstable.
The appropriations funding will support Independence House services for domestic and sexual violence victims/survivors on Cape Cod, and will result in the construction of a new counseling and resource center adjacent to the agency’s main office at the current location of 160 Bassett Lane in Hyannis. The building will include energy efficiency construction, ADA compliancy, and increased and adequate space, safety and privacy to meet the need for new and additional services for victims/survivors of domestic and sexual violence in Barnstable County. The space will include an expanded and upgraded accessible food pantry for use by domestic and sexual violence survivors, therapeutic art space to aid healing and enhanced well-being, specialized therapeutic spaces to support the mental health and safety needs for adults and children exposed to domestic and sexual violence, and tailored services to support most underserved survivors including BIPOC victim/survivors and survivors living with different disabilities.
“Independence House has dreamed and planned for three years for an optimal space upgrade that is safe, healing, restorative and one where survivors of domestic and sexual violence in our community experience a haven, free from violence and abuse,” said Independence House Executive Director, Lysetta Hurge-Putnam. “This funding 100 percent achieves exactly what we dreamed of. Independence House is beyond grateful to our outstanding Massachusetts delegation for their enormous demonstration of support for survivors of domestic and sexual violence. We could not be happier about this funding, and on behalf of the survivors we serve, are excited to bring our vision to fruition in the coming year. Thank you to our delegation for heeding our request and providing Independence House with this significant funding.”
“We selected the Independence House project for Congressionally-directed funding because we recognized both the needs in the community and the strong track record that Independence House has in using their existing limited resources to meet the needs of the up to 10,000 Cape Cod residents each year who seek their assistance,” said Keating. “Unlike broad competitive grants, this grant was chosen by myself and Senators Warren and Markey for funding, and I was proud to work with them to advocate for this $3.46 million that will transform the existing facility in Hyannis and provide comfort and a sense of security for Cape Codders who need it most.”
Independence House. Inc. is Cape Cod’s leading domestic and sexual violence emergency housing resource, counseling and advocacy center addressing and preventing domestic and sexual violence. It provides services to between 7,000 and 10,000 Cape Cod residents annually. The agency operates four Cape Cod offices: Hyannis, Falmouth, Orleans and Provincetown; provides a full court advocate staff in Falmouth, Barnstable and Orleans District and Barnstable Probate Court Houses; meets and assists sexual assault survivors at Cape Cod and Falmouth Hospitals and all Barnstable County Police Departments 24-hours a day; and maintains both a 24-hour hotline and confidential emergency domestic and sexual violence shelter residence on Cape Cod.
To learn more, visit independencehouse.org.
