Rape crisis centers in Pennsylvania have been flat-funded for 6 of the past 10 budget cycles, a reality that administrators say is affecting their ability to serve victims and may lead them to cut services or reduce staff.<\/p>\n
Now, as Gov. Josh Shapiro proposes<\/a> keeping funding at the same level, the centers\u2019 advocates hope they can convince lawmakers to change course before the budget deadline this summer.<\/p>\n This \u201cflat-funding\u201d is just one part of a \u201cperfect storm\u201d for rape crisis centers, said Joyce Lukima, CEO of the Pennsylvania Coalition to Advance Respect, which distributes state funding and advocates for the centers.<\/p>\n Also hurting their bottom lines are inflation, recent reductions in federal funding<\/a>, and lingering effects from last year\u2019s long budget impasse, in which centers went months without state dollars, and some had to scale back services<\/a>.<\/p>\n To help survivors, these centers provide support groups, counseling, legal aid, and crisis intervention hotlines. Lawmakers have increased funding for these centers three times since the 2016-17 budget cycle. In both 2019-20 and 2021-22, funding increased by roughly 10%. Last year, they got a 2% bump.<\/p>\n Christine Zaccarelli, CEO of the Crime Victims\u2019 Center of Chester County, said monthly expenses like electricity and rent have gone up significantly since she started working there in late 2017.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s common sense that things cost more now than in 2018,\u201d Zaccarelli said. \u201cTo expect centers to be giving the same services now with funding from 2018, it sends a message that it wasn\u2019t a priority.\u201d<\/p>\n Beth Garrigan of Safe Berks, a \u201cdual center\u201d in Berks County that provides both domestic violence and sexual assault services, said last year\u2019s state budget impasse left her organization on shaky ground.<\/p>\n While funding was frozen, the center depleted its savings, accessed a line of credit, implemented a hiring freeze, and ultimately laid off nine staff members \u2014 many of them direct service providers, including a therapist, a case manager, and two community educators.<\/p>\n \u201cThat was our boiling point moment,\u201d Garrigan told Spotlight PA. \u201cWe had to sit down and really look at what funding we have and [ask], \u2018How long can we sustain at the staffing levels that we’re at?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Following Shapiro\u2019s February budget address, PCAR and other survivor advocacy organizations released an open letter<\/a> urging state leaders to approve a $12.5 million increase to the rape crisis line item in the upcoming budget \u2014 about double its current appropriation \u2014 to offset the years of flat-funding.<\/p>\n \u201cThis level of funding does not cover even a single monthly utility bill or therapy for one survivor,\u201d the letter said of last year\u2019s funding increase.\u202f\u201cThis is not enough to hire a full-time advocate, cover rising insurance premiums, or close service gaps.\u201d<\/p>\n In a statement, a spokesperson for the Department of Human Services did not comment on rape crisis centers\u2019 demand to increase funding, instead saying that \u201cGovernor Shapiro and his Administration will continue to fight for survivors, and he looks forward to working with the legislature to support the Commonwealth\u2019s rape crisis centers.\u201d The spokesperson also pointed to last year\u2019s budget increase<\/a> for rape crisis centers.<\/p>\n That 2% increase amounted to about $250,000 in additional funding for all 47 centers in the state. Lukima said the boost wasn\u2019t nearly enough to meet the centers\u2019 needs.<\/p>\n \u201cThe legislators, the governor, everybody listens. Everyone says that our work is important, and then they tap us on the head and push us out the door, and don’t do anything to recognize the critical situation we’re in or to improve our situation right now,\u201d Lukima said.<\/p>\n Doing more with less<\/p>\n In conversations with Spotlight PA, the directors of eight rape crisis centers repeatedly said one of their biggest concerns is paying their staff.<\/p>\n Zaccarelli, of the Chester County rape crisis center, said she hasn\u2019t been able to regularly give her staff raises or cost-of-living adjustments. Last fiscal year, when two full-time staff members left \u2014 an advocate for survivors and a violence prevention educator \u2014 she said the center chose not to fill those positions so that it would be in a \u201cbetter position to give folks a raise.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re not thinking about expanding,\u201d Zaccarelli said. \u201cI think the reality is that we\u2019re going to have to make some hard decisions. Chester County is one of the most expensive places to live.\u201d<\/p>\n Roughly 80% of the Chester County center\u2019s $2 million budget<\/a> comes from state and federal grants. But the government grants are aimed at a variety of services, not just those for sexual assault survivors. The organization also helps people navigate other parts of the criminal justice system, from working with juveniles to helping victims deal with court appearances. While money is still tight, that diversification means \u201cwe\u2019re not in as dire of a situation\u201d as some other centers, Zaccarelli said.<\/p>\n Other centers have been able to diversify their funding in other ways, sourcing support from private fundraising or grants.<\/p>\n But it can be especially difficult for rural communities to make up funding gaps, said Billie Jo Weyant, director of Citizens Against Physical, Sexual, and Emotional Abuse, which serves Elk and Cameron Counties.<\/p>\n State and federal dollars account for about 75% of CAPSEA\u2019s budget, she said. But unlike urban and suburban counties, rural areas\u2019 smaller populations and limited corporate donor bases leave them with fewer options to offset flat-funding or reductions in government spending.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re going to be a call center,\u201d Weyant said. \u201cWe aren\u2019t going to have the funds to do anything but maybe answer a call.\u201d<\/p>\n Ali Perrotto of the Sexual Assault Resource and Counseling Center, which serves Lebanon and Schuylkill Counties, told Spotlight PA that state and federal funding make up 90% of its budget.<\/p>\n At the start of 2025, cuts to federal funding began impacting the center\u2019s research and violence prevention initiatives, Perrotto said. These cuts compounded longstanding declines in the pool of federal funds allocated to local rape crisis centers through the Victims of Crime Act<\/a>.<\/p>\n