VP Biden announces stimulus in Austin

AUSTIN (KXAN) - U.S. Vice President Joe Biden visited Austin's National Domestic Violence hotline on Tuesday.

Biden toured the Westlake facility and spoke about stimulus funding that would go to the hotline.  Biden announced $700,000 that would go toward teen dating violence prevention efforts, saying it would help update communication methods to interact with teens in danger.

"They want to communicate through email, or through instant messaging, that's the place they're most comfortable," said Biden.

Biden also highlighted another $78,000 that would go to the hotline

Austin Mayor Will Wynn joined Biden as they toured the national headquarters. Biden helped author and sponsor the Violence Against Women Act of 1994. The national notline opened in 1996, two years after the act passed.

The hotline "serves as the only domestic violence hotline in the nation with access to more than 5,000 shelters and domestic violence programs across the United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands," according to the Hotline's Web site.

Courtney Sanchez, a survivor of domestic violence, introduced Biden. She had a four year abusive relationship and has since turned her pain into advocating for domestic violence prevention.

"The problem has grown, so therefore the need has grown," said Sanchez. "There's a lot of stress associated with the economy. It's just a very stressful time and violence tends to happen."

That hotline came out of the 1994 act which provided $1.6 billion to bolster investigation and prosecution of crimes against women.

Congress reauthorized the Violence Against Women Act in 2000, and again in 2005.

After the visit to the hotline's headquarters, Biden attended a Democratic National Committee lunch, and then traveled to Houston.