CHARLESTON, WV (WOWK) – Between 2023 and 2024, 13,086 people in West Virginia sought out help from domestic violence-related services according to the West Virginia Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
One of the many people who help hundreds of West Virginians every year is Amaya Williams. She serves Monongalia, Preston and Taylor counties as the Outreach and Volunteer Coordinator with the Rape and Domestic Violence Information Center.
“I do have personal experience with family violence as well as sexual assault,” Williams said.
For her, it was natural to want to help others, especially given her understanding of the isolation and fear often associated with abuse.
“For me, it’s probably been upwards of seven years since my last incident. For me, it’s not something I ever just get over. I kind of try to push it in the back of my mind,” Williams said. “I figured turning it into a profession was the best way to go. It’s been very positive and rewarding so far.”
She said having resources available for people is important across the state, such as access to shelters, the National Hotline 1-800-799-SAFE, and more.
“Their story is what matters the most and just reassuring them that ‘there is an after.’ It’s really hard for victims when they’re in that moment to remember that ‘this is not the rest of my life,’” Williams said. “So, just reassuring them that they have someone who cares, they have someone who believes them, because unfortunately, a lot of victims are told ‘no one is going to believe you. This isn’t happening.’ A lot of gaslighting happens in those situations, so my presence being there, being just that one person, is sometimes all that they need.”
At the State Capitol on Monday, dozens of advocates like Williams worked to include lawmakers in on this discussion about the ongoing need to support survivors of abuse, especially allocating state dollars to resources that can make all the difference.
“The biggest need that we have this year is really funding and we refer to that as VOCA funding. VOCA is really a federal term. That funding has dropped significantly over the past few years at the federal level, so we’re asking the state to supplement that,” said Samuel White, Legal Services Coordinator with the West Virginia Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
He said they need roughly $12.9 million from the state to supplement the drop in VOCA funding, also known as the Victims of Crime Act.
“The state has supplemented that in past years. There seems to be broad support to supplement that again this year. Unfortunately, if that supplement does not happen, we would suffer cuts in all 55 counties. We have programs that have offices in all 55 counties to serve survivors there. If we would not get that funding, we would lose at least some of those offices, maybe entire programs.”
White originally worked as a public defender in Nicholas County, representing people who were charged with domestic battery after acting out of retaliation while being in an abusive relationship. He said that experience opened his eyes to the ongoing need to help survivors of abuse, and after serving as a prosecutor for several years, he decided to begin working with survivors of domestic violence.
“If there’s anyone exerting control over you in your life, whether they’re being physically abusive or not, if they’re not allowing you access to the funding you need in your life, or if they’re constantly calling you names or putting you down, reach out to one of our programs,” White said.
Both Williams and White noted that one of the hardest aspects of facing abuse is feeling alone and as if you cannot tell anyone that you need help. They both encouraged anyone affected by abuse to feel free to reach out to the National Hotline, a trusted friend, and any of the organizations that span the Mountain State that help people facing abuse.
“Absolutely let friends that you are comfortable with know what’s going on in your life, family members let them know what’s going on in your life. Remember if you do call us, you’re going to have a warm, friendly voice on the phone that’s going to help you through it,” White said. “If there’s no one else who you feel comfortable talking to, I know it’s hard to call a stranger, but call us up and see if we can assist you. I guarantee we can assist you in some way.”
He continued, “It’s worth that call because it generally never gets better. It almost always continues to get worse.”
According to the Coalition Against Domestic Violence, there were more than 171,681 logged service hours and 104,167 shelter nights recorded in West Virginia from 2023 to 2024. Of the people who were helped, 10,990 were non-shelter clients and 1,646 had to stay in a shelter.
1,782 of the more than 13,000 people helped were children.
“Knowing that I’m not alone and knowing that, unfortunately, I’m not the only one that this has happened to weirdly enough can be reassuring,” Williams said. “For me, sometimes I will relate my story to clients and be like ‘I’ve had similar experiences. I’ve gone through similar things. Here’s this method that you might want to try.’”
She continued, “Whether or not they do that, that’s completely up to them. I always tell clients ‘No one knows your story better than you. No one knows how to help you or make decisions better than you.’”
