Case Explained: Advocates warn WA state funding for crime victim services could be cut nearly in half – Legal Perspective

SEATTLE — Millions of dollars in state funding that support services for crime victims are at risk and could be cut nearly in half under the current supplemental budget proposal.

Local organizations are sounding the alarm about the impact this funding reduction could have on crime victims’ services, like reduced access to therapy, legal help, and other support for victims navigating the court system.

SEE ALSO | Advocates share plans with Sen. Murray on $1.75M aid for assault survivors in King County

Advocates say the current proposal would reduce the $21.38 million funding level needed to maintain current operations to just $12 million. The funding helps support organizations that connect crime victims with services such as counseling and legal assistance.

Andy Sampson is just one out of thousands of sexual assault survivors who have been connected with help through therapy and other services at the King County Sexual Assault Resource Center, known as KCSARC.

“When I hear that services can be cut, it’s hard,” Sampson said. “I know other survivors that have gone through the system, if they need to go to court and they need to have somebody there that can explain through the legal process how to work through that.”

KCSARC CEO Kate Garvey said the potential reduction in funding could affect the organization’s ability to respond to victims seeking help.

“There’s a lot of tough choices ahead right now, and I’m really afraid to say that we are, you know, on the precipice of not being able to pick up the phone like we want to anymore,” Garvey said.

Advocates also say the number of victims seeking services has increased over the years, while local, state, and federal funding has steadily decreased. Garvey told KOMO News the state’s crime victims’ services serve about 52,000 survivors each year.

“They keep saying that the funding isn’t there and that we need to start figuring out how to do more with less, except that we’ve been doing that for years,” Garvey added. “We really need to start treating sexual assault services, crime victim services like it’s infrastructure in the state, the same way that we treat hospitals, schools, and roads. This needs to have consistent, stable funding.”

SEE ALSO | Report highlights issues with delayed justice in King County’s sexual assault cases

“I think the most important thing for all of us to remember is that this funding is about dignity. It’s about ensuring that when someone experiences violence, their community responds with care, not silence,” Leticia Figueroa, director of victim services in the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, said. “This funding keeps crisis lines open. It ensures that advocates can walk survivors through the process and provide responsive support across our communities, and if we don’t fully fund this, then agencies are going to face layoffs and wait lists that are already growing so much.”

According to Figueroa, some services, including legal help for victims, are currently on an eight-month waitlist. A spokesperson at the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office also shared that county funding for their victim advocates was recently reduced by half. Meanwhile, KCSARC officials say they have already had to lay off staff over the years because of funding cuts.

Advocates are urging state lawmakers to act by the end of this legislative session on Mar. 12 to keep current funding levels.