April 20, 2026

Contacts:

Grace Coleman, president and CEO of Crisis Center North, 412-216-0840, GColeman@crisiscenternorth.org

Daniel McArdle Booker, Obermeyer, Rebmann, Maxwell and Hippel, 412-288-2476, mcardle.booker@obermeyer.com

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Crisis Center North, a leading provider of services to domestic violence survivors in the northern and western suburbs of Pittsburgh, announced today that it has filed a complaint in federal court to keep the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence from ending more than 40 consecutive years of funding to CCN.

The complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, where the state coalition is headquartered, by CCN’s attorney, Daniel McArdle Booker of Obermeyer, Rebmann, Maxwell and Hippel. CCN is also seeking preliminary and permanent injunctions to prevent the Coalition from not renewing CCN’s annual contract, which would cost CCN about $310,000 in annual state funding, or roughly 20 percent of its budget.

“CCN is sorry that it has come to this, but PCADV has left it with no choice,” Booker said. “PCADV has a legal responsibility to fairly distribute the grant funds entrusted to it by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and has chosen not to do that when it comes to CCN. While CCN is the party to this lawsuit, the real victims of PCADV’s actions are the thousands of domestic violence survivors CCN serves every year, who PCADV is taking services from in this apparent vendetta against CCN.”

The Coalition delivered a “notification of non-renewal” on March 20. Importantly, the Coalition did not cite any deficiencies in CCN’s programming or accuse it of misspending money. In fact, CCN has received pristine audits by outside auditing firms during its entire existence as a nonprofit. Instead, the Coalition indicated it was ending its funding of CCN as of July 1 over what CCN considers to be unnecessary and counterproductive demands regarding CCN’s internal fiscal reporting procedures.

CCN not only provides legal services and therapy to victims of domestic violence, but it has been acclaimed for several innovative programs, including the PAWS for Empowerment initiative, which makes sure that victims can safely take their pets with them when they flee an abusive situation. Last year, CCN served more than 2,600 domestic violence survivors and their family members, providing more than 30,000 discrete services.

CCN also has pioneered the use of new technologies to improve the safety of survivors, and it talks to more than14,000 students annually on how to build solid personal relationships as part of its prevention efforts.

“It is unfortunate that PCADV would put survivors of domestic violence in this position during a time when the need for services is so great. Our organization has repeatedly asked the Coalition to show us the basis for their demands, but the Coalition refuses to engage in that dialogue. It appears to be a significant overreach on the part of the Coalition,” said Grace Coleman, president and CEO of CCN.

Over the past four years, CCN’s board has agreed to comply with the majority of the Coalition’s fiscal requests, but refused to go along with the latest demand because it would have added $18,000 in compliance costs with no discernible benefit for CCN’s clients. Rather than continue to negotiate on this issue, the Coalition arbitrarily decided not to renew CCN’s contract.

Coleman said CCN intends to continue serving its clients despite this setback. Besides state funds, CCN receives money from the federal government, local foundations, and thousands of individual donors.

Unlike many other states that directly fund domestic violence services through state agencies, Pennsylvania channels its domestic violence funding through the Coalition, a private nonprofit that contracts with Pennsylvania’s Department of Human Services.

Dr. Art Woods, a CCN board member and former steel company executive, says CCN has tried to comply with constantly shifting regulatory demands from the Coalition for several years. “It now appears there is a recognition from the Coalition that their demands are not enough to stop Crisis Center North from serving Western Pennsylvania. They have decided that the best way is to attempt to cut CCN out. This cannot be allowed to happen. If it is okay to deny one organization, who says this attack will not happen to someone else?”

Kelsie LaBarbera, a former CCN board chair, said CCN not only provides innovative services for survivors, but is often a backup for other local domestic violence agencies.

“Crisis Center North is respected in the region, with other domestic violence shelters leaning on them for resources when they themselves may not have the ability to help. Without Crisis Center North, domestic violence services would lack an innovative organization that provides creative solutions.”  

“I appreciate the holistic approach that Crisis Center North takes to provide help for individuals in need, providing not just housing, financial and legal assistance, but also making sure pets can be brought along as well,” adds Garrett Poore, a CCN donor and engineering manager at Arcadia LLC. “Getting out of an abusive situation can be hard enough, without having to worry about losing a beloved pet in the process.”

CCN has received numerous awards, including the Purple Ribbon Lifetime Achievement Award from the Alliance for HOPE and DomesticShelters.org, and the National Crime Victims Research Award from the U.S. Department of Justice.‍

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“CCN has reluctantly decided to initiate legal action, but we felt we needed to do so because the lives of domestic violence survivors we serve are so important,” said Coleman. “Our community cannot be left without services."

“CCN has been a staple of the northern and western areas of Allegheny County for 48 years. The Coalition shouldn’t have the ability to damage that track record with an arbitrary and capricious decision.  Real lives are at stake here.”