Federal funding for victim services has declined dramatically,
and if the California legislature and Governor do not step in to
provide funding, domestic violence service providers and other
victim services will experience steep across-the-board cuts to
their funding that will directly impact survivors’ ability to
access the safety and healing the need and deserve.
Learn
about what cuts to the Victims of Crime Act could mean for sexual
and domestic violence survivors in California.
We are taking action to prevent these cuts! The Partnership has
joined with statewide organizations dedicated to supporting
survivors of crime, advocates, and their communities to form the
VOCA Advocacy Alliance.
- We’ve submitted this
budget request letter with nearly 200 organizations signed
on. Assemblymember Eloise Gómez Reyes is
championing the budget request in the Assembly.
- We’re co-sponsoring
AB 1956 (Reyes), the Crime Victim Services Stabilization
Act, to requires California to support funding for essential
crime victim services when there are major reductions in
funding. The bill passed through the Assembly Public Safety
Committee on a unanimous vote.
- We’re co-sponsoring
AB 2432 (Gabriel) to establish a new permanent funding
source for crime victim services. The bill will be heard in
Assembly Public Safety on April 9th and Assembly
Banking and Finance on April 15th.
Get involved with our advocacy to prevent these cuts with one of
the ways listed below and check this page regularly. We will
update this page with ways to make your voice heard as our
advocacy evolves.
What you can do
Send an email to your legislators asking them to protect crime
victim services
Email
your legislators
April 30th Attend Rally to Protect Crime Victim Services
4 – 5pm at West Steps of California State Capitol
more information here
Post
this video on your social media platforms, tag your
Legislators, use hashtags #CABudget and #CALeg, and urge them
to fund victim services at $200 million this year.
Organizations: Sign on to our letter to state leadership.
Background on the Victims of Crime Act Funding &
Shortfall
Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) funding is the backbone to
California’s response to crime victims’ needs. VOCA provides
funds for an array of critical services and programs that support
Californians after they have experienced a crime which includes
domestic violence service providers, Rape Crisis Centers, legal
assistance, human trafficking services, a range of options to
address survivor homelessness, and other vital services. This
funding originates from fines and penalties from convictions in
federal cases, not from tax dollars. Every year, Congress
determines how much to release from the fund. Federal, state, and
Tribal victim assistance programs receive formula grants,
discretionary grants. More information about the Victims of Crime
Act is available here. In
recent years, the
fund’s balance has declined precipitously, and Congress has
reduced the amount released.
In March 2024 Congress finalized the FY 23-24 funding bills and
provided $1.353 billion in Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) funding,
which will constitute a roughly $630 million cut to VOCA grants
compared to FY 23.
California’s crime victim services will receive $87
million for FY24, which equates to a 43% reduction from the
$153.8 million allocation last year.
VOCA’s Role in Supporting Crime Survivors
As just a small sample of the services that VOCA makes possible
in California, in FY 21-22, these funds supported:
- A range of housing options for domestic violence survivors,
including 354,227 emergency shelter nights provided, with another
15,706 unmet requests for shelter during the year; providing
transitional housing 180,628 times; and supporting another 6,882
individuals with housing services through a Housing First
approach to connect individuals and families experiencing
homelessness quickly and successfully to permanent housing.
- Services for 46,461 individuals experiencing sexual violence,
served by California’s Rape Crisis Centers.
- Culturally appropriate victim services for 42,184
unserved/underserved survivors of crime, and another 4,333 child
and youth survivors of crime from unserved/underserved
communities, and 866 culturally-rooted therapy sessions provided
to Native American children victimized by abuse and/or neglect.
- 15,156 elder abuse victims receiving comprehensive services
- Supporting child abuse and neglect survivors, including 1,133
individual counseling sessions provided to children who are
victims of sexual abuse and/or sexual exploitation; 8,649 foster
youth provided advocacy or accompaniment through the Court
Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) Programs; 14,732 children
victimized by abuse and/or neglect plus their family members, and
caregivers received comprehensive psychotherapy services; and
16,636 child abuse survivors and their families who received
support through victim-centered, trauma-informed forensic
interviews, advocacy, direct or referral to therapy/counseling,
and referrals for medical exams.
- 1,138 human trafficking survivors receiving comprehensive
services.
- Providing information about the criminal justice process to
275,270 people.
Source:
https://www.caloes.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/Grants/Documents/2023_JLBC.pdf
Updates
Media coverage:
If you have questions, please contact the Policy Team at policy@cpedv.org.
