New York victim services advocates are claiming victory after Gov. Kathy Hochul announced an additional $36 million in funding for victim services organizations statewide including rape crisis, domestic violence and child advocacy centers.
The announcement follows advocates speaking up for weeks about not receiving enough funding to operate their programs for their upcoming year.
“Programs are still receiving revised notices and the awards remain tentative,” said Emily Miles, executive director of The Alliance Against Sexual Violence. “We need to fully understand the impact of this additional funding in every region and in every category of service and work to ensure that all programs have what they need to provide care for all survivors across New York.”
The announcement comes ahead of the deadline for the current funding for programs running out, which advocates tell Spectrum News 1 is on Sept. 30 before the new funding would start on Oct. 1.
That funding is $162.5 million this year, which Hochul said is “the largest single-year investment in victim services in New York State history.”
With a growing number of providers, some long established organizations came up short in the award process.
Some advocates told Spectrum News 1 their programs were facing anywhere from a 30% to 70% reduction in funding.
“From this last round of procurement, our organization specifically was cut over $750,000,” said Christine Battisti, executive director of the Crime Victims Assistance Center in Broome County.
The award process is through the state’s Office of Victim Services which said by state law it is required to maintain a “competitive procurement process.”
“The thing that we still don’t know specifically what the entire cut was throughout the state of New York because they can’t provide it right now,” said Republican state Sen. Rob Rolison. “So, we don’t know what the measurement is.”
According to a release from the governor’s office, the breakdown of the additional $36 million in funding is $11.7 million each to licensed domestic violence providers and certified rape crisis centers, and child advocacy centers will receive $4.8 million more in grant funding.
While advocates and lawmakers say they’re grateful the governor is adding this additional funding, they’re calling for some changes to the funding process, so programs have more stability with planning moving forward when new funding cycles are set to begin.
“We must also use the next two years to build a more stable and sustainable approach to funding victim services,” said Miles. “New York cannot allow essential programs to move from crisis to crisis or force providers to plan for layoffs every time a new funding cycle begins.”