Panel: Support domestic violence program

The Clark County Public Health Advisory Council has asked the Board of Health to consider funding YWCA Clark County’s Domestic Violence High Risk Team before it loses state dollars by June 30.

The recommendation to support the high-risk team was supported unanimously by the council, which is composed of 21 unpaid residents who review priority public health needs and make periodic recommendations to the Board of Health.

On June 24, Public Health Advisory Council member Emily Estes told the Clark County Council, acting as the Board of Health, that concerns about the loss of funding came up during a public meeting the day before.

“The loss of this program is a public health concern,” Estes said.

Estes said the Public Health Advisory Council voted June 23 to bring the issue to the county council because the high-risk team will lose state funding by June 30. Laurie Schacht, YWCA vice president of support and prevention programs, told the Public Health Advisory Council that the organization will continue to operate the team but the need for funding is urgent.

“We’re keeping the services, recognizing the devastating impact on the community when there is such kind of violence, but it means we’re also operating at an even larger deficit,” Schacht said. “It won’t be sustainable.”

The Columbian previously reported the YWCA learned March 31 that a $90,000 grant from the Washington State Department of Commerce through the Office of Crime Victims Advocacy would not be renewed. Instead, the state will redirect the money to other counties for similar pilot programs.

The program, which launched in March 2025, establishes partnerships with law enforcement and attorneys to help identify domestic violence victims who are at high risk of being killed or seriously injured by their abusers. The program has identified 86 people to be at high risk and offers survivor-focused wraparound services.

Since launching, the program has made a significant impact in lowering the county’s domestic violence homicide rate.

Between 1997 and 2024, 75 domestic violence homicides occurred in Clark County, according to data from the Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence. Almost a quarter of those homicides occurred between 2020 and 2024. Since launching the high-risk team, there have been three domestic violence homicides in the county, according to YWCA legal services manager Kate Willow.

County council Chair Sue Marshall and council member Wil Fuentes said they will work to identify a way to support the high-risk team.

“I think we can think about this in our role as the Board of Health and also in our role as the county council,” Marshall said. “We’ll try and figure something out. That’s the problem with grants: They come and go. They’re often meant to be temporary, but they’re often filling permanent needs.”