Federal budget cut puts Triangle’s rape crisis center services at risk. What’s at stake?
The Orange County Rape Crisis Center was there in 2011 when Corey Bennett Williams needed a safe place and people to talk with who understood the trauma she felt after being sexually assaulted.
Her attacker was a trusted community member whose child attended her child’s school, Williams said. The center’s staff and volunteers were there for her during the “incredibly invasive process“ of collecting evidence and also helped her rebuild physical connections with people in her life.
“At that point, I was a 35-year-old woman, a Harvard graduate, I was very financially well off, and thought I had everything that I needed to be able to take all of the steps that I needed, both for myself and in terms of seeking justice,” Williams said.
“What I found is there’s a system with a lot of broken pieces and parts and holes in it,” she said, “and one of the only things that was working was the Rape Crisis Center.”
The only standalone rape crisis center in the Triangle, and one of six standalone centers statewide, OCRCC serves sexual-assault survivors from across the region on a $1.2 million budget, said Rachel Valentine, executive director.
That budget will get tighter this fall, when the U.S. Department of Justice implements a $600 million cut to its Crime Victims Fund program grants.
OCRCC will lose roughly $314,000, about 25% of its annual revenue, Valentine said. It’s among 4,000 U.S. agencies that use the grants to serve victims of crime, sexual assault and domestic violence.
The pending budget cut will force OCRCC to cut roughly half of its 27 full- and part-time employees by September, Valentine said, and rely more heavily on its 50 to 60 volunteers.
It also could eliminate the Safe Touch program for elementary students, roughly a quarter of its support groups and half of its therapy services, she said.
While clients could wait a little longer for services, the priority will be on legal and medical programs for those in acute crisis, she said.
Federal victim grants at risk
The Crime Victims Fund supports state and local services using fines and other monies paid for federal criminal convictions. A cap on annual allocations helped build a “rainy day” fund, which Congress tapped in 2015 to award larger grants. Meanwhile, at the Justice Department, a bigger challenge was unfolding.
Instead of seeking convictions for federal white-collar and corporate crimes, which generate revenue for the fund, the department has been resolving more cases with deferred or no-prosecution agreements. Those agreements funnel fines and other financial penalties into the General Treasury.
Federal reports show grants increased from $745 million in 2014 to $3.3 billion in 2018, when the program received $6.6 billion in revenues. However, by 2020, deposits had fallen to $173 million while grants totaled $1.6 billion.
Without additional money, the Crime Victims Fund could be depleted in the next five years, according to advocates, who have asked Congress to change the rules and allocate money from deferred and non-prosecution agreements — about $9.4 million last year — to the Crime Victims Fund.
In March, the U.S. House passed the VOCA Fix to Sustain the Crime Victims Fund Act of 2021 that would make that change. The bill has been sent to the U.S. Senate for consideration.
Virtual services, Safe Touch
OCRCC serves about 600 survivors of rape and sexual trauma each year, providing 24-hour crisis support in English and Spanish, support at hospital and court appointments, free counseling and support groups, and emergency clothing, food and shelter.
The COVID-19 pandemic had “a chilling effect” last year, with fewer people seeking services. Some were stuck at home with their abusers and unable to reach out, she said, while others faced crises involving housing, food and jobs.
Remote education also limited the center’s reach, she said. At least 100 kids are identified every year through SafeTouch classes or from school reports of at-risk behaviors, she said. Sometimes, the program also reaches adults.
“We’ve really missed out on that opportunity this past year to intervene in sexual abuse cases in the schools, and we’re really worried that next year, as kids finally get back into a place where they can have that safety and security of somebody to talk to, that because of budget cuts, we won’t be there to be able to help with those interventions,” Valentine said.
Looking for donations, help
OCRCC relies on local, state and federal grants for roughly 76% of its budget. Donations stayed strong during the pandemic, Valentine said, and they are talking with Orange County governments and school districts about available funding, including whether they might get some of the American Rescue Plan Act funds expected in May.
OCRCC will hold two fundraisers this summer and a December gala, which could be held virtually for another year. Before COVID, UNC students and groups also were key partners, bringing in between $15,000 and $20,000 a year, Valentine said.
The federal bill, even if it’s approved, won’t arrive in time to help with the coming fiscal year’s budget crises, Valentine said, but it could keep nonprofits from facing major cuts a second time.
Advocates also are petitioning state leaders to approve one-time funding for nonprofits struggling to cover their budget gaps, she said. But more donations and volunteers are always welcome, she said.
“In the coming year, with all of our staffing cuts, we will be relying more heavily on volunteers than we have for several years, and we’re fortunate to live in a community where there’s a lot of people who are willing to serve in that way,” Valentine said.
