As other NC domestic violence groups struggle, lawmakers gave an “unknown entity” $3.5 million

Domestic violence is spiking as more people stay home during the pandemic. So it appeared to make sense for state lawmakers to allocate federal COVID-19 relief funds to address the problem.

But that’s not what they did. Instead of providing immediate aid for emergency housing and other assistance to victims, lawmakers gave millions of dollars to a newly formed group to support a pilot project that could take months to get underway.

House Bill 1023 passed unanimously by both chambers and signed into law by Gov. Cooper on July 1 outlines general appropriations to the Coronavirus Relief Fund. It includes a provision that will provide $3.5 million to a domestic violence prevention group in Pitt County. The bill says the group, Caitlyn’s Courage, will conduct a pilot program that will use GPS tracking “as a condition of pretrial release for defendants of crimes related to stalking, sexual assault, domestic abuse, and violations of a domestic violence protective order.”

Other states use GPS monitoring of accused abusers and those who work with domestic violence victims welcome it being tried in North Carolina. But they are bewildered that so much money has gone to a little-known organization to support a project with no immediate impact and without a review of whether Caitlyn’s Courage is equipped to handle public funds.

On June 25, the day the House approved the bill and sent it to the governor, the North Carolina Domestic Violence Commission asked lawmakers to reallocate the money designated for Caitlyn’s Courage. It said the money would be better spent on the state’s more than 100 domestic violence centers with the funding overseen by the N.C. Council for Women and Youth Involvement.

Pam Strickland, founder of NC Stop Human Trafficking, said that would have been the right adjustment. She said in a statement: “When I think about all the domestic violence organizations across North Carolina who are struggling to deal with all the additional need for services during the Covid crisis, it just infuriates me that this huge amount of money is being given to an absolutely unknown entity.”

Caitlyn’s Courage is named for Caitlyn Whitehurst, a 25-year-old killed by her ex-boyfriend in a murder-suicide in Pitt County in May 2019. Her family formed Caitlyn’s Courage Inc. five months later.

Caitlyn Whitehurst’s father, Judson, urged Pitt County lawmakers to support the bill. He did not respond to a request for comment.

State Rep. Perrin Jones, a Pitt County Republican who was appointed to his seat last year, originally pushed the GPS monitoring idea in a separate bill that asked for $100,000 for Caitlyn’s Courage, but the bill failed to advance. The provision that passed increased the funding and expanded the pilot program beyond Pitt County to include nine judicial districts covering 35 counties. Jones, a medical doctor, could not be reached for comment.

After the bill’s passage, Rep. Chris Humphrey, a freshman Republican, praised the funding for Caitlyn’s Courage in a joint statement from several Pitt County lawmakers. Now he can see why other domestic violence groups are miffed by the lack of review as the legislature rushed to wrap up the 2020 short session on June 25.

“I can understand where the groups may be coming from. It was a bang-bang session,” he said.

Rep. Kandie Smith, a Pitt County Democrat, who joined in the joint statement hailing the Caitlyn’s Courage funding, said it will be good for domestic abuse victims and for Pitt County

She said Judson Whitehurst gained the funding.

“He worked hard,” she said, “and I guess he talked to the right people.”

This story was originally published July 5, 2020 at 5:00 AM with the headline "As other NC domestic violence groups struggle, lawmakers gave an “unknown entity” $3.5 million."