VFJ faces major funding cut! Please contact your legislators today!
We just received word that agencies serving violent crime victims in Alaska are facing a nearly 35 percent funding cut starting July 1. This drastic cut stems from a major reduction in what Alaska receives from the federal Crime Victims Fund, a fund established by the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA), financed with fees and penalties paid by convicted federal offenders, not taxes.
Deposits into the fund have dropped since 2018 for a variety of reasons. Federal legislation to fix the problem is working its way through Congress. But even if passed, the legislation would only change the way deposits are made into the fund and we are told it will take two or more years for the fund to accumulate enough money to eliminate the funding cuts.
VOCA is Victims for Justice’s sole federal funding source. It is vital to Victims for Justice as it is one of the few funding streams available to agencies that serve victims of homicide, assault, arson, robbery, hit-and-runs, and other violent offenses.
Most victim service funds are earmarked for domestic violence and sexual assault (DVSA). While these crimes deserve special attention, these limitations severely hinder VFJ’s ability to seek funding from alternative sources – 80 percent of the services we provide are to victims of other violent crime.
A cut of this magnitude to Victims for Justice’s budget would amount to $124,000 and it would severely impact our ability to serve clients. As you know, Alaska has some of the highest rates of violent crime in the nation. Now is not the time to cut services to victims and survivors.
I plan to testify before the House Finance committee today (Friday, April 8) to share my concerns about how these cuts, if left unaddressed, would devastate our ability to serve victims with crisis intervention, court advocacy and accompaniment, grief support, financial assistance, education and referrals.
I invite you to voice your concerns to your legislators by contacting them directly or call in to provide public testimony to the House Finance Committee (details below).
Thank you for your continued support.
Victoria Shanklin
VFJ, Executive Director
- Friday, April 9 at 1:30 p.m. – public testimony open for Fairbanks, Kenai, Mat-Su, Anchorage, Bethel, Cordova, Kotzebue, Nome, Utqiagvik
- Saturday, April 10 at 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.– public testimony open statewide
Call-in numbers:
- Anchorage: 907-563-9085
- Juneau: 907-586-9085
- Statewide: 844-586-9085
Public testimony is limited to 2-minutes per individual.
VFJ Mission: Assisting Alaskans affected by violent crime.
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