On Oct. 10, 22 domestic violence and homelessness organizations nationwide — including the Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence and five other R.I. organizations — secured a preliminary injunction in their July lawsuit filed against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The injunction was ordered by U.S. District Judge Melissa DuBose in a federal court in Rhode Island.
In April, the HHS and HUD announced that grant recipients must comply with existing and future executive orders, including multiple recent executive orders targeting “illegal” diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility programs “under whatever name they appear.”
In the complaint, the plaintiffs alleged that the new conditions put them between “a rock and a hard place” — organizations would either have to compromise their standard of care and potentially face litigation or be forced to shut down their programs completely.
“This injunction has ensured that organizations across the country can apply for and receive funding that keeps their doors open, providing direct services for those who need assistance,” Zoe Chakoian, a spokesperson for the American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island, wrote in an email to The Herald.
Several temporary restraining orders have been granted since the organizations filed the complaint, blocking enforcement of the HHS and HUD’s directives specifically for groups that were plaintiffs in the case. The Oct. 10 preliminary injunction permanently barred the HHS and HUD from enforcing the directive, until a final judgment is reached in the case.
The HHS, HUD and the White House did not respond to requests for comment.
Lucy Rios, the executive director of the RICADV, said her organization was “thrilled” with the preliminary injunction. The coalition joined the suit “to ensure that we’re able to continue our services in the way that our community needs them to be delivered,” Rios told The Herald.
Because the RICADV primarily advocates for domestic violence survivors, member agencies often address needs like housing, gender-affirming care and abortion access — all factors that could impact a survivor’s ability to escape an abusive relationship, according to Rios.
Over 40% of Rhode Island women and men have experienced domestic violence at some point in their lives, The Herald previously reported. Of the 1,022 R.I. residents experiencing chronic homelessness this year, about 24% were survivors of domestic violence.
R.I.-based organizations House of Hope Community Development Corporation, Rhode Island Coalition to End Homelessness, Community Care Alliance, Foster Forward and Haus of Codec were also plaintiffs in the lawsuit.
The CCA — which provides a variety of family-centered programs — joined the lawsuit “out of concern for the many vulnerable clients we serve not having access to critical HUD resources,” Benedict Lessing Jr., the president and CEO of the alliance, wrote in an email to The Herald.
R.I. victim service organizations are unusually dependent on federal grants, as the state is one of few that does not typically include a line item in the state budget to fund services for survivors.
This February, some legislators pushed to change this with the Victims of Crime Trauma Informed Mobilization Act, or VICTIM Act. The proposed legislation, which died in the state legislature, would have designated $30 million in annual state funds to victim services, The Herald previously reported.
In an email to The Herald, Sen. Matthew LaMountain (D-Warwick, Cranston), who co-sponsored the legislation and chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, wrote that last year’s “financial constraints” prevented the bill from passing.
“A powerful difference can be made when victims are connected with caring and compassionate support,” he wrote.
Talia is a metro section editor covering the health and environment and community and culture beats. She is a sophomore from Bethesda, MD studying history and international and public affairs. In her free time, she enjoys exploring Providence one wrong turn at a time.
