Kira Erickson reports from Island County Commissioners work session of Wed., Apr. 9, 2025, for the Whidbey News-Times. Read the whole story.
A Whidbey nonprofit organization providing vital services to survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault is in danger, bracing itself to lose one-third of its funding.
Citizens Against Domestic and Sexual Abuse, also known as CADA, has been impacted by recent federal funding cuts to the Victims of Crime Act, which slashes the nonprofit’s budget by $155,500.
In addition, CADA is facing the loss of American Rescue Plan Act dollars – $184,000 in total – which helped stabilize the organization during the COVID pandemic.
They Said It
This will result in shorter office hours, longer wait times for advocacy services and a reduction in community outreach, as Executive Director Andrea Downs shared during a workshop meeting with Island County commissioners earlier this month. It will also mean staffing will be cut in half. The main office was recently relocated from Oak Harbor to Coupeville as a cost-saving measure.
Downs said Monday that CADA is able to weather this storm, though any further federal funding cuts would chip away at staffing levels.
“At this point in time we are not having conversations about closing our doors, which is a great place to be in,” she said.
Downs told the county commissioners that it’s important to put faces to the work that CADA does, since so much must be kept confidential. She asked the commissioners to keep CADA in the back of their minds for future opportunities, whether it’s funding or conversations about supportive housing or behavioral health.
Downs said there is a variety of ways volunteers can get involved, including keeping the main office staffed, answering the crisis line or teaching prevention classes at elementary schools, among other things.
Commissioner Melanie Bacon was distressed to hear about the funding cuts.
“This is public safety and it’s being treated like it’s another one of those women’s issues, that the women can just go solve it by having bake sales,” Bacon said, the outrage palpable in her voice.
Downs agreed with this sentiment, acknowledging that fundraisers alone cannot get CADA out of this crisis.
“We continue to advocate at a state level,” she said Monday.
Another challenge she highlighted during the meeting was the lack of services and support for men who are impacted by domestic violence. CADA has a contract with Naval Air Station Whidbey Island to provide emergency shelter services and support for the advocacy needs of people living on base.
Ed. Note: Ms. Downs is also an elected Director in the South Whidbey School District.
