Georgia agencies could see further loss of VOCA funding
Several organizations that help victims of domestic and sexual abuse in three north Georgia counties are preparing for possible cuts in funding from the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) that could take effect Oct. 1.
Federal funding for America’s victim assistance and advocacy programs comes from VOCA, and that fund has grown smaller the past few years, noted Kimberley O’Neal, executive director of the North Georgia Mountain Crisis Network (NGMCN).
“It has been decreasing over several years, and what they call the reserve has all been used,” she added.
The nonprofit crisis network is one of at least three victim assistance organizations for the Appalachian Judicial Circuit (AJC) counties of Gilmer, Fannin and Pickens that could see further cuts in grants from the Crime Victims Fund.
That fund uses money from fines and penalties paid by convicted federal offenders to provide the funding. Over the past three years, Georgia’s VOCA funding has dropped from $105 million a year to $35 million a year, O’Neal noted. She said President Joe Biden has signed a VOCA funding fix, but it will take time for the Crime Victims Fund to recover after years of decline.
“It will not trickle down to our agencies for anywhere from three to five years from the time it was signed,” O’Neal said.
Court delays during the COVID-19 pandemic have also impacted the amount of VOCA funding received by organizations like NGMCN, which provides such services as counseling, temporary shelter and a 24-hour help hotline (706-632-8400 or 1-800-33-HAVEN) for victims of domestic and sexual abuse.
“Court has not been happening, and the (VOCA) grant is generated through court fees, not tax dollars,” said Melanie Davis, executive director of Appalachian CASA, another local agency preparing for more possible cuts. “It’s not just our state. It’s a federal grant, so it’s being cut (nationwide).”
O’Neal said NGMCN saw a 20 percent cut in VOCA funding last year, but many agencies like it were able to apply for CARES funding to cover some of the shortfall. Those funds aren’t there this year, she noted.
Several of Georgia’s victim assistance organizations, including NGMCN, are asking Gov. Brian Kemp to allocate some of the $4 billion in American Rescue Plan funds the state has received to alleviate the 37 percent cuts that could take effect Oct. 1.
Those anticipated cuts could total $11.2 million statewide, and would bring an immediate loss of $80,000 for NGMCN, O’Neal noted.
“We’re in scramble mode right now, and trying to prepare so we’ll be ready come Oct. 1,” she added. “We do expect more cuts again in the following year.”
Davis said the local CASA — or Court Appointed Special Advocate — office also relies heavily on VOCA funding. It trains volunteers to advocate for the best interests of abused or neglected children in foster care and court proceedings.
“We use it to support our staff and volunteers who are out there supporting kids. Recruiting, screening and training volunteers is what we mainly do to advocate for those kids,” Davis said. “(We don’t know) whether they will come up with something or not for this year. In our office, we’re strategizing on how to fundraise, so we can (cover) that amount.”
Appalachian CASA has a small administrative staff of five that covers Gilmer, Pickens and Fannin counties.
“The amount they’re looking at would cut us a whole staff position. It would be harder to train our volunteers and would require us to realign our staff to provide that training,” Davis said.
Programs that could see more VOCA funding cuts this year include rape crisis centers, domestic violence shelters, child advocacy centers, anti-sex trafficking programs and others that help victims and survivors.
For NGMCN, previous VOCA cuts have meant moving some staff positions from full time to part time, or eliminating them entirely. The number of Gilmer-Pickens-Fannin residents it serves continues to grow each year, particularly since the pandemic started, O’Neal confirmed.
“We also have less client assistance (now) because we do things like one-time relocations and rent and utilities. We’ve cut back quite a bit on those items, and we’ve had a lot of additional expenses through COVID like emergency shelter hotel needs. We’ve been scrambling to get money from different places to cover those expenses,” she added.
More cuts would mean more downsizing.
“We would have to decrease our staff again and decrease our victim services. We may have to close things like our outreach office. We have two thrift stores, one in Blue Ridge and one in McCaysville, so we may be looking at taking those from two to one. Anything we can do to stay open,” O’Neal said.
Appalachian Children’s Center (ACC), a Gilmer nonprofit that works with children and families in the three court circuit counties, is also funded by VOCA and affected the same cuts, O’Neal noted.
Dedicated to intervention, treatment and prevention of physical, sexual and emotional abuse of children, Appalachian Children’s Center grew out of NGMCN and has operated as its own entity the past 20 years.
“They are facing the same situation. Any child advocacy center like ACC will be experiencing the same percentage cuts,” O’Neal said.
If Gov. Kemp decides to allocate American Rescue Plan money to Georgia’s VOCA-funded agencies, he could make that announcement by the end of this month, O’Neal noted.