Update – June 26, 2024

The California Legislature and Governor Newsome included $103 million in one-time funding to support crime victim services in the 2024-25 California state budget. While this fund averts an immediate funding crisis for WEAVE and victim service agencies throughout California, it does not solve the greater funding dilemma. VOCA funds have been decreasing despite ongoing increases in demand for victim services that have existed for years. The impact of the COVID 19 pandemic further exacerbated the problem and insufficient safety net for crime victims in our community, the State of California and the nation. While we are relieved for the temporary relief, WEAVE, and other victim serving organizations, must manage scarce resources in an effort to support victims facing the greatest risk and with the fewest resources. This approach is a band aid and not the comprehensive response needed to protect vulnerable families.

WEAVE will continue to leverage funds to provide the greatest level of service possible while advocating for long term solutions that address both crisis intervention and prevention efforts.

Background

The State of California is expecting deep cuts in multiple areas in the coming year’s budget. If a solution is not found, the impact on victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, and sex trafficking will be significant and have a lasting negative effect.

WEAVE’s government funding is comprised of local, state, and federal funds. Federal and State dollars come from multiple sources, one of which is the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) Fund. The VOCA Fund was created by Congress in 1984 to provide federal support to state and local programs that assist victims of crime. VOCA uses non-taxpayer money from the Crime Victims Fund (CVF) for programs that serve victims of crime, including state-formula victim assistance grants. Federal revenues deposited into this Fund come from sources such as criminal fines, forfeited bonds, and assessments against individuals and corporations convicted of felonies.

The Federal government sends these state-formula victim assistance grants to every state. The grants are administered by California the California Office of Emergency Services (CalOES) in California who distributes funds through multiple grant awards to organizations who serve victims of all types of crimes.

WEAVE currently has ten grant awards from CalOES that are all or partially funded through VOCA. The amount of Federal VOCA money available to be distributed nationwide has been slowly decreasing over the past few years. While we are hopeful that the Fund will be replenished in coming years, California is receiving a reduced amount of VOCA funds for the year that starts October 1, 2024.

The Governor’s May Revise budget, released on May 10^th, did not include funds to backfill lost VOCA funds. We are aware that the Assembly and Senate Budget Committees are recommending the funds be backfilled but inclusion in the state budget is not guaranteed. If state funds are not provided, all VOCA funds will be cut by 45% for the fiscal year that begins October 1, 2024.

Impact on Survivors Supported by WEAVE

If state funding is not budgeted to offset VOCA cuts, WEAVE’s CalOES grant awards will be reduced by $1,137,000. These cuts would go into effect on October 1, 2024. Funding losses will include:

• $307,870 in cuts to two CalOES grants providing 24/7 support and response to victims of sexual assault. This includes the only funding available to operate the county’s sole Sexual Assault Response Team that supports victims during evidentiary examinations, provides free counseling, and community education.
• $105,766 in cuts to core domestic violence services including confidential shelter, counseling, and legal services. This loss will be compounded by further cuts including $95,658 in dedicated legal services and $312,900 in funding that supports housing assistance and WEAVE’s transitional housing program.
• Already vulnerable victims will be harmed further with cuts. We face a loss of $97,197 to support older victims experiencing or at risk for elder abuse, a loss of $153,410 from two grants provided services to unserved and underserved children, youth, and adult victims, and a loss of $90,411 for providing services to youth who have experience violence and exploitation and are currently in the Youth Detention Facility.

WEAVE uses a sustainability planning model to guide our response to funding fluctuations. WEAVE’s leaders are creating different scenarios to help inform recommendations made to the Board of Directors.

As a supporter of WEAVE, we commit to being transparent with our community and supporters about the impact of the potential funding cuts and to keep you informed of the local consequences. If you have additional questions about the state budget and local impact, please email info@weaveinc.org.