Idaho one of few states with no appropriated funds for domestic violence services

State funding is limited to fees on marriage licenses, divorces and protection order violations

By: Ruth Brown - December 12, 2022 1:48 pm

A child's hand uses blue playdough on a table at a domestic violence victim services center

A child uses blue playdough at a domestic violence victim services center in rural Idaho. (Courtesy of Idaho Reports)

Editor’s note: This story was originally published Dec. 12 on Idaho Reports.

Idaho is one of the only states that provides no general fund dollars for domestic violence services, outside of funding the Idaho Council on Domestic Violence and Victim Assistance.

Idaho does have a dedicated fund that generates $15 per marriage license, $20 per divorce, and $10 per protection order violation to be spent on domestic violence services. But the dedicated fund is not enough to provide needed services, advocates say. Instead, they are reliant on federal funding grants and private donors.

Neighboring states, such as Washington and Wyoming, provide significant amounts of general funds to domestic violence, according to a 2021 Montana Board of Crime Control report.

On Tuesday, Boise State University criminal justice researchers shared the results of a survey regarding crime victim needs, the Biennial Report on Victimization & Victim Services. One recommendation in the report is the Idaho Legislature should appropriate flexible funding for crime victim service providers in Idaho.

Idaho Reports visited a rural Idaho crisis center this year to learn more about what the gap in funding could mean for the area:

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