This DV Awareness Month, NY DV Programs and Lawmakers Sound Alarm on Funding Crisis and Urge State to Step In

NEW YORK, NY (10/22/2026) (readMedia)-- As Domestic Violence Awareness Month draws to a close, New York's domestic violence programs (DV programs), joined by Assemblymember Paulin and Senator Webb, called on the State to address the urgent crisis they're facing after receiving devastating cuts to a major source of federal funding administered by the state Office of Victim Services (OVS).

DV programs provide essential services to survivors of domestic violence at critical moments in their lives. These services include, but are not limited to, crisis support; safety planning; access to temporary shelter and housing; court advocacy; counseling and emotional support; transportation and benefits navigation; and support for children. Due in large part to cuts by the Trump administration, OVS cut $19 million from the grants awarded to DV programs surveyed by the New York State Coalition Against Domestic Violence this summer, forcing programs already dealing with chronic underfunding and delayed grant reimbursements to close offices, cut critical staff, take out credit for payroll, and reduce services. Speakers demanded the Hochul administration end its over-reliance on erratic federal funding and ensure DV programs-and the thousands of domestic violence survivors across New York who depend on them-get immediate support.

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While Governor Hochul restored $11.7 million to DV programs in August to help close the funding gap, thanks to tireless advocacy of victims services providers, DV programs are still underwater and have yet to receive their executed contracts and grant awards-even though the new contract period started October 1. It could take months for the State to complete this process, with some programs having waited up to a year in previous grant cycles to receive what they were owed.

As a result, programs are grappling with the devastating consequences. These are just some examples:

• ECLI-VIBES serving Suffolk County received a 30% reduction in funding, forcing them to cut their director of operations and decrease office hours from 9-7pm to 9-5pm. Due to understaffing, ECLI-VIBES can no longer answer every call that comes in, instead responding to messages in order of lethality.
• My Sisters' Place serving Westchester County lost close to 24% of its OVS funding, forcing the organization to cut two positions, a family law attorney and DV advocate.
• Family Counseling Service of the Finger Lakes serving Ontario, Wayne, Monroe, Seneca, and Yates Counties lost $704,884.61 or 19.85% annually. FCSFL received the revised award letter one week,10 days after issuing layoff notices to nine employees so they would have time to seek other employment and six weeks to transition and mitigate caseloads.
• Fearless! Hudson Valley in Orange and Sullivan Counties lost $156,071.93 or a 10% cut while already operating in a deficit, despite an increase in demand of 30% in the last five years and 19% last year alone.
• Victim Assistance Center of Jefferson County lost $132,972.38, an 8% cut, forcing them to eliminate their only Supportive Counselor position for DV and sexual assault survivors and their overnight Crisis Services Advocate who does crisis intervention when law enforcement is involved, providing on-scene emotional support, information and referrals, and transportation to emergency shelter.
• Crimes Victims Assistance Center (CVAC) in Broome County lost close to $540,000, forcing them to cut five positions: two counselors, a legal advocate, a case manager and a staff person responsible for outreach. Without additional support, they will have to let at least three more people go.

On top of restoring funding and releasing the money programs are already owed, speakers called on the State to overhaul its process for awarding and disbursing program-sustaining dollars. DV programs rely on a complicated web of grants from the federal government, state, and localities, many of which have been cut over the years and are chronically delayed. Programs are forced to use a tremendous amount of time and resources to apply for and track down funding-resources that could and should be used to support survivors instead. OVS' grant process has been fraught with issues for years, requiring DV programs to participate in a broken and unnecessary Hunger Games-style competition against other victims services providers-including Rape Crisis Programs and Child Advocacy Centers-for funding. Most years, when those grants are awarded, OVS provides programs with explanations for how they made their determinations. This year OVS has not yet provided one-neither in their first round of awards nor the August awards. DV programs are calling for an end to the competitive bidding process for licensed and approved DV programs and greater transparency.

"The Governor did the right thing by adding an additional $11.7 million for licensed domestic violence programs. It was an important first step, but domestic violence programs are still facing significant shortfalls impacting services and staffing, and New York now has service deserts where survivors of domestic violence can no longer access the critical, often life-saving support they need. Piecemeal funding is not going to solve the problem. We need sustainable, reliable funding. We understand the urgency that survivors and domestic violence programs are facing and look forward to working with the Governor and legislature on the reforms needed to assure continuity and sustainability of services," said Connie Neal, Executive Director of the New York State Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

"In our rural community, demand for victim services continues to grow, yet our funding through the Office of Victim Services continues to shrink. Although the need for stronger intervention for high-risk victims is widely recognized, requiring licensed programs to continually compete for limited funding leaves communities less equipped to respond to crime, reduces access to critical services and jeopardizes victim safety," said Amy Quonce, Executive Director, Victim Assistance Center of Jefferson County.

"We remain hopeful that the Governor, State Legislature, and State Comptroller will work together to provide immediate relief to victim service agencies facing severe funding shortfalls and establish a clear, transparent, and accountable plan to reform this broken funding system. Victims should never have to suffer the consequences of government funding decisions," said Christine Battisti, Chief Executive Officer, Crimes Victims Assistance Center (CVAC).

"We appreciate the Governor's backfill, but even with that support, ECLI-VIBES' annual award is 30% below the level we received in each of the past four years, a loss of more than $391,000 a year to support survivor services. This is heartbreaking, and is devastating to our community and our staff morale," said Jennifer Hernandez, Bilingual Co-Founder and Executive Director, ECLI-VIBES.

"OVS funding reductions are affecting highly trained direct-service professionals and their families-people who continue to show up for victims every day despite vicarious trauma, fatigue, and burnout. Employees are losing their jobs, and both staff and the victims they serve feel abandoned by the very system designed to support them. When funding gaps become too large to bridge, providers are forced to end positions and interrupt trusted services. The result is a trauma response caused by the actions-or inaction-of the State agency responsible for designating funding to support and advocate for victims of crime," said Barbara Pierce-Morrow, President and CEO, Family Counseling Service of the Finger Lakes, Inc.

"We appreciate the Governor's swift response to our initial outreach, and while these dollars have helped close some of the immediate funding gap, they unfortunately do not address the devastating cuts still facing many long-standing victim service programs across New York State. Beyond the financial impact, these cuts threaten the continuity of essential services, disruptions that are ultimately measured in human lives. There is no comprehensive plan to address the loss of these services or to assess the short- and long-term consequences for survivors and their families. Meanwhile, demand for services has skyrocketed across New York State in recent years, leaving an already stretched network of victim service providers struggling to meet even the most immediate crisis needs. Survivors cannot afford gaps in safety, support, or access to services, and neither can our communities. We must ensure that the resources needed to sustain these critical programs are in place before the consequences become irreversible," said Kellyann Kostyal-Larrier, Executive Director, Fearless! Hudson Valley.

"The OVS cuts may be the immediate crisis, but they're really exposing a larger problem: a fragmented funding system that stretches providers thin and diverts resources from where they belong, helping victims heal, recover, and stay safe," said Tiffany Pavone, Director of Victim Services, Child and Family Services serving Erie County.

"Domestic violence programs are on the front lines every day, helping survivors escape their abusers. Funding cuts mean fewer DV survivors get the services they need. The Governor stepped up to fill the devastating federal cuts. However, we must do more. Survivors depend on these programs and we need them to be able to keep their doors open," said Assemblymember Amy Paulin.

"Domestic and sexual violence happen every single day, on college campuses, in homes, in the workplace, and across the world. Survivors and advocates have spent years telling us our systems are broken. As Chair of the Women's Issues Committee in the Senate, I am proud to be fighting for closing consent loopholes in our state laws, more equitable funding for victims services, and addressing other obstacles to serving victims," said Senator Lea Webb.