Domestic Violence Service Providers Hope Legislature Will Help Stabilize Programs And Services For Victims

The New York State Coalition Against Domestic Violence is urging the Assembly and Senate to include a $200 million appropriation in their upcoming one-house budget bills, aimed at improving the efficiency of delivering services to those in need.

According to Joan Gerhardt, the director of public policy and advocacy for the organization, nearly 200 domestic violence advocates attended the event, one of the biggest turnouts they have ever had. She highlighted the problem that more than 90 percent of the state’s funding for domestic violence services is federal. 

Currently, only 0.079 percent of the state budget is being allocated to domestic violence services. This concern is not specific to NYSCADV and domestic violence support programs, but many nonprofits in New York state. According to Megan Allen, the CEO of the New York Council of Nonprofits Inc., 65 percent of nonprofits are concerned about funding basic operations. This concern stems from not having enough funding to pay their workers, as “revenues barely cover the costs of living,” Allen said. “We are competing against Burger King for workers and we are losing.”

“At the heart of the crisis is federal funding dependence,” said Kellyann Kostyal-Lerrier, executive director of Fearless Hudson Valley Incorporated, formerly known as Safe Homes of Orange County.

Kostyal-Lerrier also explained the current staffing crisis that shows extremely low employment numbers for domestic violence services, which was caused by a lack of workers due to dramatically low wages and inadequate funding. She added that there were even instances where “an unprecedented amount of funds were left on the table due to a lack of workers. ” 

The $200 million proposed program focuses on shifting reliance from federal to state funding to provide greater flexibility for domestic violence programs and NYSCADV. It aims to reduce the number of state agencies overseeing funding, streamlining the contracting process for service providers while cutting administrative costs. Most funding would be distributed through non-competitive grants without match requirements, easing financial burdens on rural and more varied cultural communities.

The proposal also removes county Departments of Social Services from contracting responsibilities, allows for upfront and timely payments to providers, and enhances culturally responsive services to better support unserved and underserved communities.

Assemblyman Hevesi, D-Forest Hills, spoke about his plan to finally establish Kyra’s Law, which has been discussed for more than five years but never made official. Kyra Franchetti was murdered by her father during a court-approved, unsupervised visit, despite warnings and accounts of abusive behavior. Kyra was 28 months old at the time of the case, which occurred in 2016.

Kyra’s Law aims to help prevent children from abuse at the hands of their parents/caregivers. Hevesi described it as “the most complicated legislation” he’s ever worked on, but pledges to get it done in 2025. The bill (A.6194) was introduced to the Assembly Judiciary Committee on Thursday, February 27. A companion bill (S.5998), sponsored by Sen. James Skoufis, D-Cornwall, was introduced in the Senate Judiciary Committee on March 4.