Gov. Kathy Hochul will deliver a $36 million lifeline to programs that help sexual assault survivors and other crime victims, she said in a statement Friday morning.
The new infusion of state money comes 10 days after NBC New York reported that longstanding rape crisis centers and child advocacy centers were suddenly facing deep, unanticipated cuts that could result in layoffs and other painful service reductions.
The programs said they learned of the cuts in July after the State Office of Victim Services (OVS) divvied up $74 million in federal grant money — a competitive process that recurs every three years.
In response to NBC New York’s initial reporting, a Hochul administration spokesperson said there had been an unprecedented number of applications for the federal grant money this year, and that while some programs received less, the overall investment in state victim services ($162.5 million) had been the largest ever, including almost $54 million in state money. Now the state investment is almost $89 million.
“Supporting victims and survivors is deeply personal to Governor Hochul,” an administration spokesperson said in a statement Friday. “The unprecedented demand for funding – nearly two and a half times the approved $253 million over two years – and the impact on existing programs prompted the Governor to secure an additional $36 million to meet a critical need.”
During an interview with NBC New York on Aug. 14, Assembly Member Catalina Cruz, who has identified herself as a rape survivor, said Hochul “had to find a solution.”
“These services save lives,” the assemblymember said, growing increasingly emotional when describing the potential that traumatized survivors could lose services. “I know, because it happened to me. I was raped.”
Cruz said she had not planned to disclose her own experience during the interview, but that in the moment, she decided to speak about it because she wants “more people to come forward.” She said she had been raped in her mid-thirties by a man she considered to be a friend.
The initial funding decisions had surprised some veteran service providers.
“The Governor has been a champion for survivor services,” said Liz Roberts, CEO of the nonprofit Safe Horizon, which operates New York City’s five Child Advocacy Centers, specially trained to intervene when a child discloses they have been the victim of sexual or serious physical abuse. “It doesn’t align with her values to cut programs like this.”
Of the additional $36 million, the governor said $11.7 million will go to certified rape crisis centers, which provide free, 24/7 on call services to survivors in their time of need. Two out of three of these centers in Brooklyn lost their federal funding, as did the Kingsbridge Heights Community Center — which said it’s the only fully staffed program of its kind in the Bronx.
Child advocacy centers will get an additional $4.8 million in funding.
“This investment will have a profound impact on victims and survivors across New York, strengthening trusted programs, expanding access to services and ensuring help is available for as long as it is needed,” said OVS Director Bea Hanson. “It also provides additional critical support to the dedicated organizations and professionals who support New Yorkers during some of the most difficult moments of their lives. I thank Governor Hochul for her continued commitment to victims and survivors and the programs that help them heal and thrive.”