ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The news Wednesday that the state of Florida had filed two lawsuits against the Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence alleging mismanagement and misuse of public funds was devastating to the leadership and staff of Hands Across the Bay in St. Petersburg.

For this group and its Domestic Violence Division, whose mission in the Bay area has been to spread awareness about domestic violence and support survivors, the allegations against the Coalition and its former CEO, Tiffany Carr, if proved true, represent the worst kind of abuse of public trust, especially considering a common complaint they hear from those they help is a lack of funding for shelters.

We spoke to Hands Across the Bay founder Julie Weintraub and Domestic Violence Prevention Advocate Melissa Dohme Hill, who is herself a survivor of domestic violence, about the lawsuits and the allegations. Watch the video above to see what they had to say.