Governor Shapiro secured a $12 million increase in funding for rape crisis centers in the 2026-27 budget, the largest increase in Pennsylvania history.
\nUnder the Governor\u2019s leadership, more than $60 million has been driven out to these vital centers all across the Commonwealth..<\/p>\n
Carlisle, PA \u2013 Today, Governor Josh Shapiro and Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) Secretary Dr. Val Arkoosh visited YWCA Carlisle & Cumberland County to meet with community leaders, advocates, and survivors to highlight the $12 million increase secured in the 2026-27 budget<\/a>\u00a0to support rape crisis centers \u2014 the largest increase in Pennsylvania history.\u00a0<\/p>\n This year\u2019s budget doubles funding for these critical centers \u2013 for a total of $24.17 million \u2013 ensuring vital resources including legal support and counseling remain accessible and available to survivors. Since taking office, the Governor has driven out more than $60 million to the Commonwealth\u2019s rape crisis centers.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cEarlier this year, I visited the Pittsburgh Action Against Rape center and heard firsthand about how hard it is to provide essential services to support victims of rape and sexual assault on a tight budget,\u201d said Governor Shapiro. \u201cTheir stories stuck with me \u2013 as have the stories of survivors I\u2019ve met throughout my career \u2013 and as we worked to negotiate this new budget, I knew we had to deliver for them. The work our 47 rape crisis centers do every day is incredibly important to the communities they serve, and I\u2019m proud we secured an historic increase in funding for these vital centers and are making sure these providers have the resources they need all across Pennsylvania.\u201d<\/p>\n In addition to funding for these centers, the 2026-27 budget<\/a>\u00a0provides $10 million in first-ever dedicated state funding for the 988 crisis hotline and $5 million to sustain walk-in crisis stabilization centers, prioritizing regions with limited access to immediate, in-person care and strengthening collaborations among hospitals, community providers, and local responders. The 2026-27 budget further invests $658,000 to enhance ChildLine staffing and provide more training to all workers \u2014 which will allow caseworkers more time and resources to effectively triage calls before referring them to the counties or appropriate agency.<\/p>\n Together, these investments support survivors and protect our most vulnerable while building out Pennsylvania\u2019s mental health services and crisis response system.<\/p>\n Governor Shapiro was joined for a ceremonial bill signing by DHS Secretary Dr. Val Arkoosh, YWCA Carlisle & Cumberland County CEO Maddie Young, and YWCA Carlisle & Cumberland County Board Member Andrea Greene. As part of today’s visit, the Governor ceremonially signed the General Appropriations Bill.<\/p>\n \u201cIn times of crisis, who responds and the experience they bring makes all the difference. YWCA Carlisle and Cumberland County and our rape crisis centers work every day to be that for sexual assault survivors in Pennsylvania,\u201d said Secretary Dr. Arkoosh. \u201cIn a time that can feel deeply isolating for assault victims, our rape crisis centers are here so people have a support network that is on their side \u2013 experience, empathy, and advocacy that makes all the difference.\u201d<\/p>\n YWCA Carlisle & Cumberland County is one of 47 rape crisis centers in the Pennsylvania Coalition to Advance Respect (PCAR). Last year, the center supported approximately 1,100 people through crisis services, which included in-person services to an average of 825 people and crisis counseling through their hotline to an average of 275 people.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe are frontline providers and now, an historic investment has been made in Rape Crisis services in the 2026-27 budget, and it will ensure victims across our Counties and PA can access such important services,\u201d said Young, who is also a member of the Governor\u2019s Advisory Commission on Women. \u201cAnd after experiencing a staffing crisis, to the Governor and our legislators, thank you for hearing us \u2014 this increased funding will allow us to continue providing Advocates, supplies, shelter, and basic needs to victims and families going through a rape crisis.\u201d<\/p>\n The YWCA provides crisis services which include advocate accompaniment to medical procedures, court and judicial procedures, and interactions with law enforcement; assistance with filing sexual violence protective orders and protection from abuse orders; crisis counseling through the hotline and in person; one-on-one and group counseling for survivors and their loved ones; emergency housing and financial assistance; and prevention\/awareness education and professional community trainings.<\/p>\n \u201cThrough my work as an advocate, I am blessed to be able to answer the call, or go to a medical accompaniment, where I can listen, support, encourage, and offer comfort,\u201d said Greene, who is also a survivor. \u201cMost importantly, in the case of a child, reporting to ChildLine to ensure a young person receives the protection he or she deserves. The $12 million in funding is critical as it enables rape crisis centers across the commonwealth to educate young people to say no and to ask for help. It allows us to answer the call to stand with survivors and say, \u2018we see you, we hear you, we believe you, and we support you.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n In addition to repeatedly calling on the General Assembly to pass legislation that extends the statue of limitations reform for child sexual abuse, this funding builds on the Governor and his Administration\u2019s support for survivors:<\/p>\n Since 2023, the Shapiro Administration has invested nearly $5 million in Pennsylvania\u2019s colleges and universities to combat sexual violence and support survivors. Since taking office, the Shapiro Administration has also prioritized supporting victims and survivors in the aftermath of crime through the Victims Compensation Assistance Program (VCAP). In total, more than $18 million has been driven out since 2023 to ensure that this critical financial lifeline remains available.<\/p>\n Today\u2019s event at YWCA follows Governor Shapiro\u2019s visit to a rape crisis center in Pittsburgh<\/a>\u00a0earlier this year and reinforces his Administration\u2019s commitment to supporting survivors.<\/p>\n Read more about Governor\u202fShapiro\u2019s 2026-27 budget<\/a>, view the Governor\u2019s remarks as prepared here<\/a>, or watch the Governor\u2019s delivered remarks here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Governor Shapiro secured a $12 million increase in funding for rape crisis centers in the 2026-27 budget, the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":247872,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[28,30,29],"class_list":["post-247871","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-pennsylvania","tag-pennsylvania","tag-pennsylvania-headlines","tag-pennsylvania-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/247871","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=247871"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/247871\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/247872"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=247871"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=247871"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=247871"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nIn October 2024, Governor Shapiro signed a bill into law requiring the establishment of an electronic statewide sexual assault evidence tracking system, enabling survivors to monitor the status of their rape kits throughout the testing process.
\nIn January 2025, the Shapiro Administration announced $2.5 million<\/a>\u00a0in federal funding for the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) to improve the Commonwealth’s ability to increase accountability and transparency through a new statewide sexual assault kit tracking system.<\/p>\n