Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA)

First passed by Congress in 1984, the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA) is the primary federal funding source dedicated to supporting emergency shelter and related assistance for survivors of domestic violence and their children. Funding for FVPSA is administered by the Family Violence Prevention and Services Program, a program of the Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB) of the US Department of Health and Human Services.

Together with the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA), FVPSA forms one of the key pillars of the federal response to domestic violence in the US. The Family Violence Prevention and Services Program is dedicated to:

• Providing shelter and other supportive services for survivors and their children.
• Increasing public awareness about the prevalence of domestic violence, dating violence, and family violence.
• Coordinating statewide improvements within local communities, social service systems, and programming about domestic violence prevention and intervention through the leadership of State Domestic Violence Coalitions and FVPSA State Administrators.
• Supporting local and community-based domestic violence programs with specialized technical assistance addressing issues such as trauma-informed care, the intersections of domestic violence and child maltreatment, culturally specific services, and effective intervention for children experiencing abusive situations.
• Providing grants to states, territories, tribes, coalitions, and resource centers, including The Hotline.

Learn more about FVPSA from the Administration on Children, Youth and Families and FYSB.