Government shutdown affects services for domestic violence victims

Survivors and Advocates For Empowerment (SAFE), Washington’s only 24-hour crisis intervention agency for domestic violence victims, loses critical federal funding this week because of the government shutdown.

Without the federal funds, SAFE will need to raise $19,000 to keep its doors open this week.

“Last night we housed 17 families in our emergency shelter and 50 children,” director Natalia Otero told WAMU-88.5 FM. “Those are people in desperate need of emergency services and shouldn’t suffer just because of politics.”