We need new bedding for our shelters. Shop our wish list to send linens directly to Doorways!

Action Alert: Tell Legislators to Support Survivors

Important federal funding for victim services is being cut—but you can help!

Take Action at the Virginia State Level

Use this form to send a message to your representatives (~2 minutes or less) to invest in life-saving victim services.

Take Action

Take Action at the U.S. Federal Level

Use this social media toolkit to tell Representatives and Senators to demand action on the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) funding crisis!

Access Toolkit

Learn More

Background: What is "VOCA" funding?

The Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) Crime Victims Fund (CVF) is a non-taxpayer source of funding that supports thousands of victim services providers serving millions of victims annually and is funded by monetary penalties associated with federal convictions. Deposits fluctuate annually based on the cases that the Department of Justice successfully prosecutes.

What is happening with these funds?

Deposits have been low for several years, impacting the balance of the CVF. Because funds in the CVF are very low, the amount Appropriators will distribute is also very low. As a result, states are and will be experiencing enormous cuts to their awards.

The proposed $1.2 billion in President's FY24 budget and the FY24 House and Senate CJS appropriations bills is a 40% cut, as compared to FY23.

About Virginia's Put Victims First Campaign

PUT VICTIMS FIRST VA is a multi-year strategy to create an all-encompassing and integrative statewide fund that ensures ALL victims of crime can access the services they need.

We are asking the Governor, and the Virginia General Assembly, for an initial investment of $30M to keep essential services available and the agencies that provide them afloat.

In the past 5 years alone, Virginia's funding from the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) has been cut by a whopping 47.5% and discretionary TANF funding is projected to disappear by FY25. As a result of these ongoing and devastating cuts, the community safety-net for victims is rapidly eroding.

Learn More

About VOCA in the Appropriations Budget

Victim service providers across the country have worked diligently with private donors and with state and local lawmakers to secure funds to address increased need and to provide a buffer if VOCA grants are cut by 40%, as anticipated based on the House and Senate CJS Appropriations bills and the President's budget. However, even programs that have been successful in securing state, local, and/or private funding to protect against VOCA decreases simply cannot absorb cuts of this magnitude.

Given the dire potential consequences, on behalf of the victims and survivors we all serve, we ask that Congress invest adequate funding for VOCA in the final FY24 Appropriations budget.

Learn More

In the News

Mariska Hargitay Shares Her Experience in Her Own Words

"I began talking about it more in earnest with those closest to me. They were the first ones to call it what it was. They were gentle and kind and careful, but their naming it was important. It wasn't a confrontation, like 'You need to deal with what happened,' it was more like looking at it in the light of day: 'Here is what it means when someone rapes another person, so on your own time, it could be useful to compare that to what was done to you.' Then I had my own realization. My own reckoning."

"Now I'm able to see clearly what was done to me. I understand the neurobiology of trauma. Trauma fractures our mind and our memory. The way a mirror fractures."

As Domestic Violence Survivors Try to Rebuild, They Face a Housing Crisis

"If you can't afford housing, maybe you have to live with your abuser because you don't have other options. I think that really speaks to the importance of some of the rent moratoriums and all those housing policies that promoted housing during the pandemic. Unfortunately, a lot of them have been sunset at this point. Those are really important to addressing some of those underlying vulnerabilities to intimate partner violence."

"Experiencing homelessness or even the threat of homelessness can be weaponized against survivors and keep them locked into abusive situations."

Different Faces but All Suffering Intimate Partner Violence

"A preacher's wife. A young mother. A soldier. These brave individuals joined a survivors' panel to share their experiences and recovery stories during a Domestic Violence Awareness and Intimate Partner Violence Awareness summit sponsored by the Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks."

Attend an Upcoming Workshop

Join us as we provide tips and identify strategies for becoming a more askable adult for the youth in your life. This workshop is geared towards all adults willing to support youth.

February 8th, 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Virtual on Zoom
Register here

May 15th, 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

In-person at the Arlington County Department of Human Services Auditorium, 2100 Washington Blvd, Sequoia 1
Register here

Creating Safe Spaces to Build Youth Resiliency and Strengthen Connections

Do you consider yourself approachable? Do youth come to you for support and resources about topics most important to them? Are you looking for new ways to support and connect with youth? Then this workshop is for you! The Becoming More Askable Workshop is an opportunity to ensure that every young person in Arlington has at least one askable adult (a person youth has identified as willing and able to listen, provide support and understanding, and answer questions without judgment).

Learn More