Nearly nine years ago, Faith Brown watched her armed husband kill her four children after she served him divorce papers. Now she visits the Capitol with a funding request to legislators, saying Michigan’s newest gun laws won’t protect domestic violence survivors if shelters close.

“He killed our four children in front of me. He shot me, cut me with a knife and left me for dead. What was so chilling was how calm he was. He wasn’t angry. He didn’t yell. He just did it,” Brown said. “I remember waking up in the hospital. A social worker gave me a folder with resources to try to help me put my life back together. I still have that folder.”

On April 22, around 100 individuals gathered behind the Capitol to kick off the “Team Enough” lobby day, calling for various firearm reforms.

Some of today’s policy requests were intended to build off statutes adopted by the previously Democratic-controlled state government in the 2023-24 term. For example, in May 2023, the governor signed off on creating Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPOs), so family members, spouses and romantic partners could petition the courts to have someone’s guns temporarily confiscated.

Later, in November 2023, the governor signed legislation banning individuals convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence offenses from possessing firearms for eight years after their sentence is completed.

Brown, who lives in the Detroit area, explained she decided to leave her husband because he abused her and their children, who were 4, 5, 17 and 19 years old when he killed them.  Although she was not initially ready to participate in counseling after their deaths, she said it’s the biggest thing she’s afraid of getting lost if funding is cut.

“I wasn’t really ready at the time, but I (had been) there for some years talking with her, and then I just started getting to a better place,” she said. “Well, funding can change…it’s a possibility it may get cut.”

In front of the podium, Brown explained the state needs to set aside $75 million for domestic violence shelters and sexual assault programs.

“The work is not yet done. Our domestic violence shelters are the organizations that help survivors use these new laws. Those shelters are in danger because they are losing tens of millions of dollars in federal funding,” Brown said. “Who will help survivors fill out their personal protection orders? Who would tell them what an extreme risk protection order even is, let alone how to file one?”

Brown received counseling services from First Step, the nonprofit in Wayne County. In 2020, a designated advocate for the nonprofit worked on 900 personal protection order (PPO) petitions, and nowadays, staff are available to support with ERPO paperwork.

Consistently since about 2020, according to Audriana Buchanan-Cronk, First Step’s director of operations and engagement, the organization has turned away 200 individuals and families altogether from its shelter space monthly.

Buchanan-Cronk explained that the Michigan Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence (MCEDSV) works closely with agencies’ federal partners, giving updates as President Donald Trump’s administration works to minimize federal spending and to curtail programming.

“They’ve been telling us for about two years: ‘get ready, buckle up. It’s getting tighter and tighter…’ and this is the largest cut we’re projected to see in the last decade,” she said.

She said about 70 percent of First Step’s funds come from federal contributions, and based on the MCEDSV’s projections, 62 percent is “at risk for being cut.”

Across the United States, concerns about agencies’ upcoming funding involve the federal Crime Victims Fund, or the VOCA Fund. It finances temporary housing, courtroom advocacy services, mental health counseling and discretionary grant awards.

In early 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office for Victims of Crime projected funding for service grants to be $700 million lower than it was in Fiscal Year 2023.

Buchanan-Cronk said a $75 million appropriation set aside by the state would “fill that gap that we are proposed to see in 2026.” VOCA is bankrolled by federal crime fines and special assessments, as opposed to tax dollars. She explained the estimates are based on expectations of Trump being less zoomed in on prosecuting white-collar crime than he is on immigration-related prosecutions.

“What we’re seeing is the new administration’s focus is not as much in white-collar crime as it is in other areas, and so…that’s where a lot of we’re projecting to see this change, and that they’re redirecting their budget outside of funding these services,” she said.

As for Whitmer’s remarks, she did not detail what else she would like to sign in terms of firearm policy. However, she did say she was ready to work with anyone wanting to protect public safety and reduce gun violence.

“Together, we have shown we are capable of meeting the challenge, taking action and that is what we will continue to do, no matter who is occupying seats around decision-making tables,” Whitmer said. “Now is not a time to stay home and pull the covers over our heads.”

However, Buchanan-Cronk said she’s concerned about being forgotten this year as legislators and the governor explore big spending plans. Right now, they’re considering automatic public safety allocations from Michigan’s sales tax, a multi-billion dollar road plan and the state’s General Fund possibly backfilling welfare services if funding drops on the federal level.

“There’s a lot of critical funding sources on the line right know . . . we’re talking about Medicaid, Medicare, we’re talking about children’s lunches, and so unfortunately, it is about possibly being forgotten,” she said, explaining earlier that “we’re talking about agencies having to close doors. We’re talking (about) less opportunity to offer meals to our families. We’re talking about taking our donations (from) where it helps keep our lights on and finding creative ways to still pay our staff.”

This story courtesy of MIRS, a Lansing-based news and information service.