Victim agencies scramble after loss of federal funding

If you're fleeing an abusive relationship and need a place to stay, there's a hotline for that.

If you're a crime victim and need help navigating the courts, there's a hotline for that.

If you were sexually assaulted and need someone to talk to, there's a hotline for that.

There may soon be one hotline to serve all these needs.

With federal funding dwindling for Summit County agencies that serve crime victims, a combined hotline is one of the possibilities they are considering to save money.

They aren't alone. Victim agencies across Ohio and the country are scrambling to decrease expenses and find new revenue in light of a recent cut to their federal Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) funding -- and more expected reductions. For agencies that have long depended on VOCA as their main funding source, this is no simple task.

"It's going to be a puzzle we have to put together over the next couple of years," said Terri Heckman, executive director of the Battered Women's Shelter and the Rape Crisis Center that serve Summit and Medina counties. "It will be a tremendous exercise."

VOCA funding for victim agencies, awarded by the U.S. Justice Department and, in Ohio, distributed by the state attorney general's office, was reduced by about 7% in the latest allocations on Oct. 1. This is a significant hit for agencies that don't have huge budgets for the services they provide, which include shelter, crisis intervention, counseling and education.

The agencies have been warned they could see more severe cuts next fall.

"We are playing the game as if we are going to get another cut," said Liz Poprocki, executive director of the Ohio Victim Witness Association in Columbus that represents 300 victim agencies. "Based on the numbers, it could be up to 15%. That's pretty deep. That would affect our agencies very badly."

Given this grim forecast, many agencies are hoping for more support from the community, especially during the holiday season when individuals and businesses might be in the giving spirit.

"This is a time for us to really communicate in the community," said Suzanne Lewis-Johnson, chief executive officer of Rahab Ministries, an Akron agency that assists female victims of sex trafficking. "If this matters to them, we need the funds to support that. They need to show they really see the value of what we're doing."

About VOCA

Victim agencies have long considered VOCA to be a stable, dependable funding source.

"We thought it would go on forever," said Heckman, who has been in victim services for 34 years.

VOCA, created in 1984, draws from fees and fines collected from cases involving federal white-collar crimes and settlements.

The amount victim agencies were able to request in VOCA funds was capped at $100,000 and then boosted to $150,000. With the amount in the fund way up, thanks to several lucrative federal cases, agencies were permitted to greatly increase their annual funding requests starting in 2015.

The Battered Women's Shelter and Victim Assistance were among the Akron agencies that took advantage of this opportunity and went from receiving about $150,000 to more than $1 million annually in VOCA funds.

Both agencies used the extra funds to move to new, larger locations. The Battered Women' Shelter switched from several smaller shelters to one large one.

"We decided to go for it -- serve more people right now," Heckman said. "We figured someday, if it's not there, we will adjust."

Someday, though, happened this year.

Poprocki of the Ohio Victim Witness Association said VOCA funding has dropped in the past few years because federal prosecutions of crimes have decreased.

Summit County Prosecutor Sherri Bevan Walsh, whose office lost $35,000 in VOCA funds, has written to U.S. Reps. Tim Ryan and Dave Joyce, asking them to investigate the VOCA funding issue. Her office, which has advocates who assist victims in felony court cases, received $465,000 in VOCA funds this year.

The VOCA funding funneled to Ohio this year decreased by $30 million, which translated into a 6% to 7% cut in the amount given to agencies in the latest round of funding, said David O'Neil, a spokesman for the Ohio Attorney General's Office.

The attorney general's office prioritized funding for agencies that provide direct services to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse, O'Neil said.

Responding to cuts

Local agencies were able to weather this round of VOCA cuts through reductions that mostly avoided eliminating staff.

Victim Assistance, which saw its funding drop by about $77,000 to just over $1 million, decreased its training budget, memberships to several professional organizations and meal expenses, such as attending other agencies' fundraisers.

The agency also eliminated a new support group for teachers assaulted by students that hadn't generated much interest but took a lot of work by staff. One employee, who worked about three hours a month on this effort, was let go.

"It was hard -- there is a need in the community," said Leanne Graham, president of Victim Assistance. "I hope we can continue this in the future once our funding is known."

Victim Assistance, which has been working on increasing revenue by providing training, agreed to train Battered Women's Shelter's staff for free because of the VOCA cuts.

The shelter, which saw its funding drop by nearly $100,000 to $1.4 million, cracked down on wasted copies -- asking staff not to print drafts -- negotiated a better price for snow plowing, and cut food costs by buying more from the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank.

Both Victim Assistance and the Battered Women's Shelter are hoping they can rely on local foundations to provide them with additional funding.

Lewis-Johnson of Rahab, however, said getting foundation support can be challenging because the foundations often are looking to fund projects and not pay for everyday expenses or staff.

"They want to build something," said Lewis-Johnson, whose agency's VOCA funding decreased about $100,000. "They don't want us to depend on them for long-term sustainability. We need that diverse donor pool."

Future funding

The victim agencies may not find out how much VOCA funding they will receive in the next round until next October.

The funding runs from Oct. 1 through Sept. 30.

In the meantime, though, the Ohio Victim Witness Association is suggesting that agencies examine the quality of their services, new ways to raise money and cut expenses, and duplication with other agencies.

The association will have a webinar with its members Dec. 18 to discuss VOCA funding, and the attorney general's office plans to hold regional meetings in early 2020 to discuss the issue.

The Summit County agencies plan to have their own meetings with each other and with their staffs to search for creative ideas, like creating a common hotline.

Graham said one idea that isn't on the table is a merger between Victim Assistance, which has a staff of 36, and the Battered Women's Shelter, which has 140 employees.

"We are very different, unique organizations," she said.

For now, the victim agencies are hoping the community will remember them when they're making their holiday lists.

"We want them to think more than ever about their victim services," Heckman said.

Stephanie Warsmith can be reached at 330-996-3705, swarsmith@thebeaconjournal.com and on Twitter: @swarsmithabj.

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