SAFE LEAVE Explained: Paid FAMLI Benefits to Support Survivors’ Economic Well Being, Safety, and Recovery

Tuesday, April 16, 2024 – 10:00 – 11:30 am Mountain Time

The webinar will focus on SAFE LEAVE program and what it means for survivors. What is paid safe leave?  Who qualifies for the program? What about confidentiality? How does it work and how can it be used to support survivors? These questions and more will be answered throughout this webinar designed specifically for advocacy professionals. Colorado’s Family and Medical Leave program (FAMLI) paid leave program passed at the ballot box in 2020, began paying benefits on January 1, 2024, and includes specific provisions for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking meant to increase their safety and to limit the economic impact of victimization.

Presenter: Lydia Waligorski is skilled Public Policy professional who comes to Clayton Early Learning with the hope of addressing the policy intersections experienced by families with young children and upward economic mobility. Her previous policy work includes leading multiple successful policy wins of Colorado’s domestic violence coalition for seven years, creating the first administrative law rules for the FAMLI program and working as a subject matter expert in both paid leave and gender-based violence. Lydia has a passion for increasing access for historically excluded populations to policy and decision makers and teaching others how to navigate and excel within the policy process from concept to signature, through implementation and refinement. She earned both a BS in Community Health Education from Southern Illinois University, and a MPA with a concentration in Disaster Management from University of Colorado.  Lydia also regularly volunteers within her community and is currently serving as a board member of Colorado Ceasefire. 

This project was supported by Subgrant No. 2022-VW-23-163-00 awarded by the state administering office for the Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice’s STOP Formula Grant Program. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this publication/program/exhibition are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the state or the U.S. Department of Justice. 

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