Domestic violence cases have repeatedly made headlines across New York State as agencies that help victims report a growing need for their services. Now, some of those providers say the state funding they rely on to help victims isn\u2019t keeping pace.<\/p>\n
Hope\u2019s Door, a Westchester County nonprofit serving victims of domestic violence and human trafficking, says it served 1,426 domestic violence victims last year \u2014 a 51% increase from 944 the previous year. But Executive Director CarlLa Horton says the organization\u2019s latest tentative funding award through the New York State Office of Victim Services increased by just 7\/10 of 1%.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were devastated. We were devastated,\u201d Horton said.<\/p>\n
Hope\u2019s Door helps as many as 1,800 people a year and reaches another 10,000 middle and high school students through education programs focused on healthy relationships. The organization provides emergency shelter, legal services, counseling and support groups. \u201cEverything we do is potentially lifesaving,\u201d Horton said.<\/p>\n
Fearless! Hudson Valley in Orange County says it is facing an even steeper funding challenge. Executive Director Kellyann Kostyal-Larrier says the organization\u2019s tentative OVS award represents an approximately 30% cut \u2014 or about $500,000 annually.<\/p>\n
At the same time, Fearless! says its overall services are up 20% so far this year compared with the same period last year. Hotline services are up 16% and shelter services are up 9%. Kostyal-Larrier says Fearless! has already surpassed its total hotline services for all of 2025. The organization worked with more than 8,000 people last year and answered more than 12,000 hotline calls.<\/p>\n
Kostyal-Larrier says cuts to organizations like hers could have consequences well beyond the individual agencies receiving the awards.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s no way for other organizations to fill the gap when they themselves are also facing catastrophic-level cuts,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
In Dutchess County, Family Services says annual OVS funding for its Center for Victim Safety and Support would fall from $864,965 to $440,785.66 under the tentative 2026-28 award \u2014 a reduction of approximately 49%.<\/p>\n
The Center for Victim Safety and Support served 2,380 crime victims in 2025, according to Family Services, while providing more than 11,300 advocacy and accompaniment services and answering more than 5,600 hotline calls.<\/p>\n
The agencies say OVS is one of their largest funders.<\/p>\n
The concerns come as serious domestic violence cases continue to make headlines. Three notable cases unfolded in Orange County on the same day last Thursday: A domestic incident between a father and son in Warwick led to an hourslong police standoff. Robert Ryan, 70, was found dead following a house fire in Greenville, with state police identifying his son as the suspect in the homicide investigation. In New Windsor, police say a man broke into his ex-girlfriend\u2019s home and violently attacked her while a child was present. He was later charged with attempted murder and other offenses.<\/p>\n
News 12 has also covered a series of deadly alleged domestic violence cases elsewhere in New York, including recent cases in the Bronx and Brooklyn.<\/p>\n
Horton says the increase in people seeking help may be driven by several factors. It may reflect the number of domestic violence incidents, she says, but also years of outreach and education that have made more victims \u2014 and the people around them \u2014 recognize abuse and know where to turn for help.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe more they know, the more they hear, the more inclined they are to reach out either for themselves or for someone that they know,\u201d Horton said.<\/p>\n
Providers say meeting that demand becomes increasingly difficult when funding can change significantly from one grant cycle to another. Kostyal-Larrier says the problem goes beyond this year\u2019s tentative awards and believes the way victim-service organizations are funded needs to change.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou cannot pit local programs from other counties against each other like the Hunger Games when, in reality, these have to be sustainable funding streams so that victims and survivors have the human beings they need to help them access the services,\u201d Kostyal-Larrier said.<\/p>\n
The New York State Office of Victim Services says it received a record number of applications for its latest Victims of Crime Act Victim Assistance Grant Program. OVS says 316 applicants sought $313.1 million annually \u2014 more than twice the $126.5 million available each year.<\/p>\n
OVS says the grants are awarded through a competitive process and the agency cannot consider whether an organization already receives OVS funding when reviewing applications. Existing providers are not guaranteed another award or the same level of funding they currently receive.<\/p>\n
The awards are not yet final. Organizations were notified of their tentative awards last month, but the New York State Comptroller is still conducting its required review. The current funding competition follows an earlier OVS procurement in 2025, when tentative awards were rescinded after the Comptroller did not approve the procurement, requiring organizations to compete again in 2026.<\/p>\n
State Sen. James Skoufis is now calling on OVS to reverse the cuts, saying reliable funding for domestic violence shelters and support services “saves lives.”<\/p>\n
“The inexplicable cuts advanced by the Office of Victim Services are flat-out dangerous and need to be immediately reversed to ensure uninterrupted services for vulnerable New Yorkers,” Skoufis said.<\/p>\n
For Horton, that uncertainty compounds an already difficult job.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe work is hard enough,\u201d Horton said. \u201cWe should be able to focus on the needs of victims without playing whack-a-mole every month.\u201d<\/p>\n
Horton, who has been at Hope\u2019s Door for nearly 30 years, says the current uncertainty is the worst she has experienced during her time there.<\/p>\n
\u201cNew York really needs to step up and put the lives of victims center and front,\u201d Horton said.<\/p>\n
News 12 has reached out to Gov. Kathy Hochul\u2019s office about the providers\u2019 concerns.<\/p>\n
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence or abuse, help is available:<\/p>\n
Hope\u2019s Door 24-hour confidential bilingual hotline: 888-438-8700<\/a><\/p>\n Fearless! Hudson Valley 24-hour hotline: 845-562-5340<\/a><\/p>\n