Public Policy
Together, we can build a Virginia where everyone lives free from violence.
For more than 40 years, the Action Alliance has worked on behalf of Virginia’s community-based sexual and domestic violence agencies to strengthen responses to and prevention of sexual and intimate partner violence. Through advocacy, policy leadership, training, and technical assistance, we help ensure that survivors are safer and communities are more equitable.
As Virginia’s dual, statewide coalition, we mobilize 70+ sexual and domestic violence agencies, advocates, survivors, and allies to turn shared values into real, lasting change.
Take Action Now
Your voice matters. And it works. Use it:
- Sign up for Action Alerts to take quick, timely action on urgent policy issues
- Contact your legislators and tell them what matters to you
- Become a member and support statewide advocacy
- Download tools & resources to engage your community
- Register to vote and make your voice heard
All of us deserve systems that work. And systems only change when people speak up. Voting, communicating with our elected representatives, and advocating for the world we want to live in are crucial elements of survivor empowerment and violence prevention. Together, we can elect leaders, pass policies, and build communities where every person in Virginia can live free from fear and domination.
Join us. Speak up. Take action for healthy, joyful futures.
Questions? Contact us at policy@vsdvalliance.org
Legislative Advocacy in Virginia
Each winter during the General Assembly session, survivors, advocates, and allies from across the state gather at the Virginia Capitol in person and virtually for our Day of Action to advance policies that support safety, healing, and prevention. It is a powerful opportunity to raise our voices together and remind lawmakers that survivors and advocates across Virginia are paying attention. While this day brings us together each winter, legislative advocacy does not begin and end there. Building safer communities requires engagement all year long, and there are many ways to stay involved, speak out, and help shape policies that support survivors.
Action Alerts
Action Alerts break down exactly how to help when it matters most. We’ll let you know:
- What’s happening,
- Why it matters to survivors, and
- What action to take — often in just a few minutes.
Sign up once. Take action when it counts.
Contact Your Representatives
Elected officials listen to their constituents. When you reach out:
- Keep your message short and focused
- Share why the issue matters to you or your community
- Ask for a specific action (support, oppose, or amend a bill)
Emails, calls, letters, and social media messages all make a difference. For prompts, tools, and more on how you can make a difference, check out our
Every voice matters. Especially yours.
Federal Advocacy
We also work at the national level with Virginia’s Congressional Delegation and partners like the National Network to End Domestic Violence and the National Alliance to End Sexual Assault to advance critical survivor protections and funding, including:
- Violence Against Women Act (VAWA)
- Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA)
- Victims of Crime Act (VOCA)
- Federal funding for sexual and domestic violence services and prevention
Becoming a member is one of the most impactful ways to support this work.
Each year, we work with members and partners to identify priority issues for the Virginia General Assembly. Legislative agendas are released in early January.
Our advocacy has helped advance:
- Stronger firearm safety and family homicide prevention laws
- Expanded survivor protections in employment law, civil protective order law, criminal justice law, etc.
- Sustainable funding for victim services and primary prevention
- Greater systems accountability and access to justice
We share updates, new laws, advocacy tools, and calls to action throughout the session.