The Virginian-Pilot | Column: As federal funding for crime victims slows, Virginia must act

By Ramin Fatehi | Guest Columnist and Robyn Sordelett | Guest Columnist

If you or your loved one were a victim of a crime, you’d want to know that there were resources in place to support you and help you seek justice and healing. Yet, federal funding for victim services has been slashed in the past few years, leaving the Virginia legislature with the responsibility to step in and ensure crime survivors in our commonwealth do not get left behind.

Since 1984, services in every state have been primarily funded by the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA). But in recent years, Congress has dramatically reduced VOCA funding. In 2024 alone, more than $700 million was cut, a nearly 40% drop from 2023.

Last year, the Virginia legislature stepped in to help backfill some of the funding cuts, but these investments are already running out, and the leaders of our commonwealth must act now to protect survivors.

Thanks to the commitment of the Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance, Sens. Barbara Favola and Tammy Mulchi, and Del. Karrie Delaney, filed a request for $8.25 million to support sexual and domestic violence crisis centers. In the past five years, federal funding for 73 sexual and domestic violence agencies in Virginia has been cut by 54%.

Survivors of sexual and domestic violence already face uncertainty in their personal lives. They shouldn’t have to worry about whether critical services will be available when they need them.

Who will be there to take a victim to a forensic exam? Who will be there to pick up the phone at an emergency hotline? Who will be in the courtroom alongside a victim? Will agencies that support survivors even be able to keep their doors open?

This isn’t simply about dollars and cents, it’s about the human cost of not supporting survivors.

When victims of crime do not get the support they need to heal, they are more likely to face mental health and substance misuse issues, experience homelessness, and even commit crimes themselves, leading to more instability in our communities. Survivors of sexual and domestic violence in underserved and rural communities are the most likely to be impacted by the lack of funding, where resources to address these issues are already sparse.

This is also about the hundreds of victim advocates across Virginia who are already overworked and underpaid but working tirelessly to protect and support survivors. They deserve not only our gratitude but also our investment in the resources they need to serve our communities.

What we’re asking for is, frankly, a drop in the bucket. Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s proposed 2026 budget is more than $92 billion. Our request — $8.25 million — is less than 0.01% of that. To put it in further perspective, it’s less than half of what the commonwealth is projected to spend this year on a commission to commemorate the American Revolution’s 250th anniversary. Honoring our history is certainly a worthy cause, but shouldn’t we be spending at least as much to honor survivors who need our support today?

And let’s be clear, $8.25 million is the bare minimum we need to maintain services for survivors of sexual and domestic violence in 2025. But it is not enough. We need funding for all victims of all crime, including children, and for all the victim advocates who support them.

A just, equitable and well-rounded criminal legal system supports victims before and after their day in court. So while we ask the legislature to act now and address the imminent needs of sexual and domestic violence survivors, we also need to look for long-term solutions. It’s highly unlikely that federal VOCA funding will be restored. Elected leaders, including prosecutors, must come together to develop sustainable models that will support the survivors in our commonwealth not just today but for decades into the future.

The federal government has turned its back on victims of crime. We must make sure Virginia doesn’t do the same.

Ramin Fatehi is the commonwealth’s attorney for the city of Norfolk. Robyn Sordelett of Hopewell is the survivor center director at the Prosecutors Alliance Action.