SLO County Victim Service Organizations Applaud the Legislature’s Inclusion of One-Time Funding to Protect Victims of Crime, But Look for Long-term Solutions for Victims

Governor Newsom and California Legislature Temporarily Protect Funding for Crime Victims

SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY —  Lumina Alliance, CASA of San Luis Obispo County (SLO CASA), the Christopher G. Money Victim Witness Assistance Center, and San Luis Obispo Legal Assistance Foundation (SLOLAF) are relieved that Governor Newsom and the California State Legislature have included $103 million of the $200 million needed in funding for crime victim services. In this year’s budget, programs like Lumina Alliance’s 24-hour Crisis & Information Line, SLO CASA’s advocacy services for vulnerable foster youth, and Victim Witness advocates will continue to serve residents of SLO County. However, funding remains precarious, and additional reductions will likely occur in the near future. Additionally, many competitive grants, such as those that fund SLOLAF’s Family Law Services program and SLO CASA’s grant-funded programs, will still be drastically reduced or cut entirely under the current state budget.

The need for this funding comes as a result of federal cuts to Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) funded grants. VOCA created The Crime Victims Fund in 1984 which is funded by federal crime fines and forfeitures, not taxpayer money. VOCA supports grants for crime victim assistance in all states. Unfortunately, this year, the federal funding cap for VOCA has been greatly reduced, meaning that programs that support victims of crime needed the state to backfill this funding source or face

being significantly reduced as well. This budget agreement will prevent many devastating cuts to organizations in SLO County, but community support is still needed to offset the overall impacts from the loss of federal funding. As the California Partnership to End Domestic Violence and VALOR wrote;

“To create a safer California, survivors must be able to process their trauma, meet their basic needs, and begin to heal. Our coalition will be back next year, urging Governor Newsom and the Legislature to prioritize the needs of survivors of crime on an ongoing basis.”

While this funding allows many victim service organizations to breathe a temporary sigh of relief, it does not ensure stability or help sustain programs beyond this budget cycle, nor does it make up for the total loss in federal funds. Next year will likely see similarly sized cuts and advocacy efforts will need to continue to ensure that SLO County crime victims and their families will be supported. Support for legislation that creates a more stable, long-term funding source for victim assistance programs will help to prevent future and continued cuts from having a catastrophic impact. AB 2432, authored by Assemblymember Gabriel, will provide a new revenue source for crime victim service programs across the state by establishing the California Crime Victims Fund. Call your state representative today and urge them to continue to prioritize the health and safety of crime victims for years to come, and consider giving to one of the impacted organizations in SLO County.

ABOUT LUMINA ALLIANCE

Lumina Alliance is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization created by the merging of RISE and Stand Strong in July 2021. Their mission is to empower those impacted by sexual and intimate partner violence through innovative advocacy, healing, and prevention programs. Services include 24/7 crisis and information line, case management, accompaniment and advocacy, emergency shelters, transitional housing, individual and group therapy, and robust prevention education. For more information, please visit www.LuminaAlliance.org

ABOUT SAN LUIS OBISPO LEGAL ASSISTANCE FOUNDATION

San Luis Obispo Legal Assistance Foundation (SLOLAF) is a non-profit legal organization that provides free legal services to low-income San Luis Obispo County residents in a variety of civil law matters and to low-income survivors of intimate partner violence, sexual assault, and stalking for family law matters. Started in 1992, the mission of SLOLAF is to provide legal services and resources to people in need. Their vision is legal access for all. For more information, please visit www.SLOLAF.org

ABOUT CASA OF SAN LUIS OBISPO

SLO CASA advocates for the best interests of abused and neglected children within the court system. CASA recruits, trains, and supervises volunteers who advocate for this vulnerable population with the goal of ensuring that each and every child grows up in a safe, nurturing, and permanent home. For more information, please visit www.slocasa.org

ABOUT THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S CHRISTOPHER G. MONEY VICTIM WITNESS ASSISTANCE CENTER

The Christopher G. Money Victim Witness Assistance Center works to reduce the trauma, frustration, and inconvenience experienced by victims, witnesses, and family members affected by crime. We do this by providing a wide variety of services to victims of crime and their families, in addition to supporting victims and witnesses throughout the criminal and victim justice process. As part of our mission, we inform victims of their constitutional and statutory rights under California law, and how to exercise those rights. For more information, please visit the Center’s webpage by clicking here or visit us at slocounty.ca.gov/Departments/DistrictAttorney.