The Future of Children, Princeton - Brookings: Providing research and analysis to promote effective policies and programs for children.

Domestic violence services are usually provided by community-based, nonprofit organizations that, unlike CPS, are not highly regulated by federal or state law or policy. The domestic violence movement began in the mid-1970s as a grass roots response to the fact that public institutions and private agencies were not addressing the needs of battered women. Hundreds of community-based shelters and support groups for battered women were organized throughout the country. In addition, as part of the women's liberation movement, the domestic violence movement worked for social change-in particular, for the reform of society and its institutions to end violence against women.¹⁴

Today, there are about 1,800 domestic violence service programs in the United States.¹⁵ These community-based programs provide a wide range of services, including shelter; 24-hour crisis lines; counseling; advocacy with police, courts, and other agencies; information about legal options; and assistance with transportation, housing, financial aid, and emergency medical needs.¹⁶ Battered women voluntarily seek out the services of domestic violence programs.

Domestic violence service programs generally receive some state and federal funding. ¹⁷ However, these funding sources do not fully support programs. As a result, most domestic violence service programs are also engaged in continuous fundraising efforts in their local communities and rely heavily on unpaid volunteers.