Lumina Alliance, CASA of San Luis Obispo County (SLO CASA), the Christopher G. Money Victim Witness Assistance Center, and San Luis Obispo Legal Assistance Foundation (SLOLAF) are coming together to alert residents of SLO County about the looming threat posed by proposed federal funding cuts to services for victims of crime. These agencies provide vital programs to the most vulnerable members of our community, including survivors of sexual and intimate partner violence, foster youth, survivors without access to legal representation and any victim navigating the criminal justice process. The proposed funding cuts will have a dramatic impact on SLO County’s ability to serve these populations.
The proposed cuts are from a federal funding source known as the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA). VOCA provides federal funds to support services to victims of crime and their families. The Crime Victims Fund was created in 1984 and is funded by federal crime fines and forfeitures, not taxpayer money. VOCA supports grants for crime victim assistance in all states.
Unfortunately, recent years have seen a significant decrease in the Crime Victims Fund. As a result, the federal funding cap for VOCA has been greatly reduced, meaning that programs that support victims of crime will be significantly reduced as well.
San Luis Obispo community leaders have expressed concern about these upcoming cuts, stating: “Lumina Alliance faces $800,000 in cuts to our funding, significantly impacting ALL areas of direct services to survivors of sexual and intimate partner violence, including a reduction in the hours of the crisis line for the first time in our 45-year history.” – Jennifer Adams, Chief Executive Officer of Lumina Alliance.
“Forty percent of SLO CASA programs are currently funded by the federal funds at risk. This reduction in funding will critically reduce our ability to provide vital support for vulnerable foster youth in our community after they are removed from their homes due to severe abuse and neglect.” – Marina Bernheimer, Executive Director of SLO CASA.
“Currently, 5 of the 12 victim advocates on staff are funded by the federal funds that are at risk. A reduction in staffing at this level will greatly impact our ability to support victims of crime as they navigate the criminal and victim justice process.”- Jessica Yates, Director of the Christopher G. Money Victim Witness Assistance Center.
“SLOLAF is already feeling the impact of this reduction as we did not receive a renewal of grant funding for providing legal services to survivors of sexual and intimate partner violence. As a result, SLOLAF’s legal services for survivors may be cut significantly, affecting about 75 survivors a year. This will greatly impact our ability to provide representation for restraining orders and child custody/visitation matters.” – Donna Jones, Executive Director of SLOLAF.
It’s not too late to make a difference! Now is the time for California to invest in measures to support survivors of crime. We are asking our community to join us in calling or emailing our representatives to demand they provide $200 million in ongoing funding for victim services to prevent these federal cuts from impacting survivors of crime. Alternatively, we are asking that they provide, at a minimum, $100 million and up to $200 million in one-time funding to support crime victim services in this year’s budget. Additionally, we encourage support for Assembly Bill 1956 (Reyes), which aims to address funding shortfalls if reductions exceed 10% of the previous year’s budget. Finally, we are asking our legislators to support Assembly Bill 2432 (Gabriel), which will provide a new revenue source for crime victim services programs across the state.
Your voice matters!
Please visit VOCACutsSLOCounty2024.org for more information and to see how you can help. Together, we can ensure that victims of crime and their families have the resources they need to seek justice and healing.