Sequestration, the automatic across-the-board spending cuts that went into effect in March, by design cuts a wide array of government-funded programs. One of the areas is domestic violence funding for programs on the state and local level. At the same time that sequestration is reducing those budgets, however, victims’ need for support has been steadily increasing.

Kim Gandy, CEO of the National Network to End Domestic Violence, reports that nearly all state programs had already been experiencing reduced funding and increased demand. She told ThinkProgress that a survey her program did in the fall found that 69 percent of state programs reported funding decreases that they were unable to make up with private donations. Beyond cuts from the federal government, almost 80 percent reported cuts from state and local funding.

Meanwhile, 88 percent reported an increase in demand for their services. The network does a national census on the same day in September from midnight to midnight to see how many people are served and found that 10,401 people reached out for help and were turned away for a lack of resources last year, similar to the number a year before.

Programs report that denying services or shuttering doors is the ultimate last resort. Yet many of the people on the ground who spoke with ThinkProgress reported that programs have to consider such drastic changes to grapple with yet another budget cut thanks to sequestration.

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