An $8 million fund to help support sexual violence survivors is about to end. Advocates are sounding the alarm while trying to figure out how to balance their budget and operations if nothing is done to backfill this money.
New Life Center helps survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault and human trafficking. CEO Kate Thoene told ABC15 they receive about $200,000 a year from the fund in the state budget called Sexual Violence Services. The money was first designated by former Governor Doug Ducey in 2022. Statewide, it was a total of $8 million that specifically funded support services for sexual violence victims.
"Those funds went directly to our support services for advocates and individuals who are working directly with victims of sexual assault and sexual violence," Thoene said. "Primarily going to be therapy and advocacy. Medical accompaniment, court accompaniment. Really, navigating, helping victims of sexual violence navigate the services that they need.”
With that money nearly gone, the center hopes the community can help fill the gap.
Unstable funding has been an ongoing challenge for New Life Center and other organizations like it. The federal government recently reduced funds for another stream they rely on and the state has helped fill that shortfall.
“It’s the same problem year over year over year. What we would love is for the government to give us multi-year funding, which is what this was. This was multi-year funding so that we can plan and budget appropriately to provide those services to victims of sexual assault,” Thoene said.
When ABC15 asked Governor Katie Hobbs what she plans to do, she said she’s still working on it. Hobbs’ office said her budget proposal includes more than $9 million for victims of crime. However, when ABC15 asked how much would be allocated specifically for victims of sexual violence, she didn’t give a specific number.
“I can’t give a dollar amount right now. As you saw, the Republicans are introducing or about to introduce a budget so we are hopefully starting the process of negotiating that,” she said.
What that means for New Life Center and other organizations that help sexual assault victims currently remains unclear.
“Now that those funds are gone, we just don't know if the community will step up and help us fill those gaps. That's why multi-year funding is so critical, because it gives us the ability to plan,” Thoene said.
