In late March 2020, when Hawaii was placed under stay-at-home orders as COVID-19 infections began to spread, incidents of domestic violence also began to rise and have remained high ever since, according to the Domestic Violence Action Center, which last week issued a public appeal for financial help.

The pandemic compounded violence because women were cooped up with their abusers, who found more opportunities to isolate, control and frighten them, such as “disabling the internet or phone services when the survivor was working from home or communicating with her family,” said Nanci Kreidman, CEO of the local nonprofit.

In a video interview provided by DVAC, a young woman named Carla, her last name withheld for safety reasons, says she suffered sexual, emotional and mental abuse at home, but the pandemic “made it hard to leave because I was terrified of getting COVID.”

DVAC sent her a ride- sharing service, “because if I had to take a bus my abuser would definitely have caught me,” and put her up anonymously in a hotel. The reprieve “gave me more confidence — not only are we safe, it’s clean. My daughter and me, the first night we spent at the hotel room, I can’t express how grateful we were, one of the best sleeps ever,” Carla says, smiling.

The center handles about 300 cases a month. In addition, during the past 16 months, DVAC staff has had 50,000 contacts with clients, Kreidman said, noting “in 30 years our organization has never experienced such high volume, and that’s why we need the public’s help.”

In April 2019, she said, DVAC’s 31 direct services staff members had contact with clients 519 times; in April 2020, there were 3,304 client contacts.

During the lockdown, the center also reorganized on a digital model.

“Under a stay-at-home directive, you cannot make a telephone call because you’ve no privacy,” Kreidman said. “So we pivoted to make ourselves accessible 24/7 and added chat and text capability to our communications systems.”

Every donation, she said, goes to the nonprofit’s program services, which include providing food, diapers, housing, cellphones, devices for children’s distance learning, transportation, legal assistance and educating teens about healthy relationships.

Of DVAC’s nearly $4 million revenues in fiscal year 2020, 48% came from the state, 25% from the federal government, 2.4% from the city, 18.4% from foundations and grants, and 4.6% from community support.

More than 80% of expenditures were for program services, and 18% for operations.

“Support is up and down, honestly,” Kreidman said, noting that this year, the state received $3 million in federal Victims of Crime Act grants, a reduction from $10 million in the last funding cycle.

She said needs have increased as survivors leave home and return to work, school and other activities with the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions.

In April, DVAC staff created 848 safety plans for clients, up from 544 safety plans in April 2020.

To make a donation, visit domesticviolenceaction center.org/give-a-gift.