‘This is a Band-Aid’: Local DV agencies say Hochul’s $36M victim services boost isn’t enough
Providers welcome the additional funding but say New York's system for funding critical survivor services needs an overhaul.
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Three Hudson Valley domestic violence agencies that raised concerns over major funding losses are receiving additional state money, but two say their revised awards still fall short of their current funding levels.
Gov. Kathy Hochul announced an additional $36 million in state funding for victim assistance programs last week following concerns from providers across New York about tentative grant awards through the state Office of Victim Services. The investment includes an additional $11.7 million for licensed domestic violence providers and brings combined state and federal victim services funding to $162.5 million this year, the largest single-year investment in state history.
News 12 previously spoke with three Hudson Valley organizations that said their tentative awards threatened services at a time when demand for help is growing. All three have now received revised awards.
Family Services, which operates the Center for Victim Safety and Support in Dutchess County, initially saw its annual funding drop from approximately $865,000 to $440,000. CEO Leah Feldman said the revised award increased to approximately $563,000, but that still leaves the organization facing a 33% reduction from its current funding level.
“Family Services’ crime victim services program is still not made whole,” Feldman said. “This is a Band-Aid, not a long-term solution. We are grateful for Gov. Hochul’s commitment to supporting victim services and for creating a short-term safety net of support.”
Feldman said the organization still wants the state to address what it sees as underlying problems with the award process and explain how longstanding providers ended up facing cuts of that magnitude.
“A 33% reduction is a devastating loss that will have serious consequences for our organization, our victim services system and the thousands of victims and survivors who rely on these services each year,” Feldman said.
Fearless! Hudson Valley also received more money under its revised award. Executive Director Kellyann Kostyal-Larrier said the organization is grateful for the additional state investment but is still facing a 10% reduction from its current contract, which she said has remained at the same funding level since 2022.
“We are still concerned about the stewardship of victim service dollars, the procurement process and the impact on victim service agencies across New York state that are still facing deficits,” Kostyal-Larrier said.
She said that even maintaining the organization’s current funding level would not account for increasing demand and the growing needs of victims and survivors.
Hope’s Door in Westchester County had a different outcome. Executive Director Carlla Horton said the organization received a $225,000 increase in its revised OVS award. Hope’s Door said the additional funding will help cover approximately 45% of the salaries of 22 employees, as well as health care costs, outreach initiatives, rent, utilities and a cost-of-living increase.
Horton welcomed the increase but said Hope’s Door remains concerned about other organizations across the region and state that continue to face significant funding losses.
“We need an adequate, stable funding stream to support victim services,” Horton said.
The Hochul administration said 51% of current providers will see a significant increase from their initial tentative awards because of the additional funding. The $36 million also includes additional money for rape crisis centers and child advocacy centers, while 15 programs that initially received no funding will now receive tentative awards. The revised awards remain subject to review by the state comptroller.
The three Hudson Valley providers said the latest funding dispute also highlights broader concerns about how New York funds organizations that provide services to crime victims and survivors. Horton said the competitive funding process can pit organizations providing critical services against one another and called for a more stable, sustainable approach.
“We call upon the governor, OVS and all stakeholders to take a very close look at how we fund victim services and come up with a mechanism, a strategy, that allows every survivor to get the help they need,” Horton said.
