New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced $36 million in additional funding for victim services organizations statewide on Aug. 28. This came after advocates spoke up for weeks about insufficient funding, which could result in layoffs and ultimately lead to cuts in important services that help families and victims of crime-related experiences.
Advocates for the additional funding critiqued Hochul, saying that she failed to ensure that programs and centers have the funding needed to provide needed services to victims.
Victim services include, but are not limited to, rape crisis centers, domestic violence organizations, family services and child advocacy centers. These advocacy centers and programs help all New Yorkers feel safe, supported and heard while recovering from the aftermath of an act of violence. These programs also provide people and families with essential services all throughout the state, from the Hudson Valley to New York City.
Hochul had previously invested in rape crisis programs, aided domestic violence survivors and helped victims access compensation for crime-related experiences. A Hochul administration spokesperson said there was an unprecedented number of applications for federal grant money, explaining that the high demand became a problem following the state budget.
Her administration historically has supported survivors and the essential services that they rely on for aid. Hochul has claimed a personal stake “in ensuring more New Yorkers get the help they need.”
The reason funding these services is so important to her is also because her mother, Patricia Courtney, grew up in a home affected by domestic abuse and later on worked with victims of domestic violence. Eventually, Courtney founded a shelter for women and children recovering from abuse called the Kathleen Mary House.
The funding that was provided by her administration will fund 15 additional programs that were said to have received no funding. It will also increase funding for 51% of current providers that had already received awards but required more. The funding for these centers and programs is now $162.5 million, which is the largest single year investment to victim services in New York state history, according to NBC.
Certified rape crisis centers and licensed domestic violence providers will receive an additional $11.7 million each on top of their existing funding.
Now with additional funding being secured, layoffs aren’t expected to be happening at some programs, and services that were currently being provided won’t be cut, according to Emily Miles, executive director of the NYC Alliance Against Sexual Violence.
However, the problem of creating a stable approach to funding these important services and programs like these still exist. According to the Gothamist, many advocates want the state to take the next two years to figure out how to avoid future crises that could result in cuts to resources used by victims before the new funding cycle begins again.
