‘This is a Band-Aid’: Local DV agencies say Hochul’s $36M victim services boost isn’t enough. Providers welcome the additional funding but say New York's system for funding critical survivor services needs an overhaul.

“We are still concerned about the stewardship of victim service dollars, the procurement process and the impact on victim service agencies across New York state that are still facing deficits,” Kostyal-Larrier said.

The GOP ranking member of the New York Senate’s Crime Victims, Crime and Correction Committee is calling on the New York State Comptroller’s Office to look into the process in which the state allocates funding for services to rape crisis, domestic violence and child advocacy centers.

This is amid news that some victim assistance programs statewide are not receiving the same amount of funding this upcoming cycle compared to years past.The GOP ranking member of the New York Senate’s Crime Victims, Crime and Correction Committee is calling on the New York State Comptroller’s Office to look into the process in which the state allocates funding for services to rape crisis, domestic violence and child advocacy centers.

This is amid news that some victim assistance programs statewide are not receiving the same amount of funding this upcoming cycle compared to years past.

In Orange and Sullivan counties, the executive director of Fearless! Hudson Valley, Kellyann Kostyal-Larrier, said it’s experiencing a nearly 30% decrease in funding.

“Almost $500,000 annually that we’ll be facing a deficit," said Kostyal-Larrier. “This is on the heels of the same funding since 2022 with an inability to appropriately ask for an increase in cost-of-living for staff, increase salaries.”

"These services are not isolated programs operating in silos. They are part of an integrated continuum of care built on shared expertise, coordinated infrastructure, cross-trained advocates, and longstanding collaborative partnerships to ensure that victims receive timely, seamless, and comprehensive support-regardless of how or where they enter our system. As a result, a funding reduction of this magnitude cannot be absorbed by a single program or funding source. It will inevitably weaken the entire service delivery system across multiple programs, resulting in reduced staffing, diminished capacity, and fewer available services. The impact extends beyond Fearless!. It will also disrupt the coordinated network of community partners-including law enforcement, prosecutors, healthcare providers, and fellow victim service organizations-that rely on our expertise and infrastructure. The collaborative systems that make this work possible have been built through decades of shared commitment. They cannot be quickly or easily replaced. We need the Governor to step in to ensure the continuity, quality, and accessibility of services for victims throughout the region," said Kellyann Kostyal-Larrier, Executive Director of Fearless!.