One hundred fifteen victim service organizations across Michigan receive federal grant funds to provide services to those facing child abuse, domestic violence, sexual assault, elder abuse or human trafficking.
Some of these providers say federal funds are drying up.
“Funding is vital for the safety of domestic violence victims, victims of stalking, dating violence and sexual assault,” said Rachel VerWys, CEO of Safe Haven Ministries.
Her Grand Rapids-based support center provides services for individuals and families facing domestic abuse, human trafficking or exploitation.
VerWys said groups like hers across the state are struggling to operate amid potential reductions in federal dollars through the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) fund, which uses federal court fees and other fines to fund victim support services.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said these funding shortfalls could only be worsened by federal conditions the Trump administration is placing on VOCA dollars.
The services that qualify for funding include victim and witness advocacy services, emergency shelters, crime scene cleanup, sexual assault forensic exams and medical, funeral and burial expenses, according to Nessel.
They go to organizations like child advocacy centers, sexual assault nurse examiner programs, domestic violence shelters, rape crisis centers, anti-human trafficking organizations and trauma recovery centers.
In addition to survivors and their families, VerWys said her group’s work can impact “the workplaces they’re in, the community, the neighborhood (and) the schools their kids may go to.
“We all suffer when victims don’t have the resources that they need to be safe,” she said.
Funds “prevent people from dying.”
According to the state, victim service groups qualify for a variety of different funds to help cover their cost of operation.
During the 2024 fiscal year, for example, the total available to grantees was around $127.3 million, including various state, federal and discretionary funds.
But of those, VOCA funds made up the largest chunk – 43%.
Now, VerWys said providers across the state are facing big federal funding reductions, the impact of which could be devastating to providers who rely on the funds for services.
Many would have to reduce services or even shutter their doors, she said.
“We vary in size and by geographic location,” she said of providers, “and some organizations serve multiple counties in rural communities. This funding is their lifeline to provide services, and so these cuts will really put at risk the resources and could force programs to close in some situations.”
Her Kent County nonprofit relies on the federal funds for around 14% percent of its total budget, she said.
Safe Haven provides “life-altering services,” VerWys said, including a 24-7 crisis response line that helps victims through “critical moments for (their) safety and trying to help them understand if there is real danger, even death, due to the abuse that they’re experiencing.”
The nonprofit also runs a women’s and family shelter with 14 suites and 56 beds, and works with advocates to meet with and support victims, helping them connect with personal protection orders and create safety plans.
VerWys said in the last few years, West Michigan has seen a large increase in domestic violence-related homicides, which has only slightly leveled off after drastic increases during the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to a Kent County proposal, the county prosecutor’s office charged 1,308 domestic violence cases in 2021, a year-over-year increase from 1,250 in 2020 and 1,211 in 2019.
“These funds actually prevent people from dying,” VerWys said. “When we anticipate that there will be a decrease again in the funds in this coming fiscal year, it becomes urgent for us to advocate and build awareness around the ripple effect of that in the community.”
According to the state, victims services organizations operating in 2024 served 217,286 individuals, handled 69,883 crisis calls and provided 261,021 nights of emergency housing.
That includes not only domestic violence shelters but also elder abuse response programs and child advocacy centers.
Melissa Werkman, President/CEO of the Children’s Advocacy Centers of Michigan (CACMI), said the state’s 40 advocacy centers rely on VOCA funding to provide “essential services to children and families in need.
“VOCA funds are not taxpayer dollars; they are generated from restitution paid by convicted criminals,” she said. “For more than four decades, these dollars have supported vital programs for the youngest survivors of violent crime … These resources help survivors of child abuse, sexual assault, domestic violence and human trafficking rebuild their lives with dignity and hope.”
Federal, state funding uncertainty leaves providers concerned.
VOCA was signed into law in 1984 by former President Ronald Reagan, and it created a series of grant programs enabling states to provide resources and services to victims of crime.
The funds, which total more than a billion dollars per year nationwide, have been used to assist nearly 9 million crime victims per year and provide compensation for more than 200,000 victims’ claims, Nessel said.
According to the Department of Justice, funds through VOCA are financed not by tax dollars, but by fines and penalties from convictions in federal cases, like white-collar crimes or corporate fraud cases.
After years of relative stability, experts say an increase in the number of settlements reached in white-collar criminal cases, and a decrease in federal prosecutions and fines, means less money in the fund.
At the same time, a Congressionally-placed cap on the funds that can be distributed each year, described by the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) as necessary to maintain the fund as a stable source of support, can also limit funding.
The cap is determined by a multi-year average of court fees, fines and penalties, and fluctuates each year.
It’s mostly decreased in the last decade, from a high of $4.4 billion in 2018 to $1.9 billion in 2025, though it’s up slightly from $1.3 billion dispersed in 2024.
But the result across the board is that Michigan has gotten less in recent years.
The state receives funds from several different types of VOCA grants, with the largest of those being victim compensation and victim assistance grants. Michigan has received between $27 and $43 million in funding each year for the past five years, according to the Attorney General’s office.
In 2023, the state got a little over $41 million between the two categories.
Last year, Michigan only received $25.5 million in victim compensation and assistance grants.
VerWys said in 2024, the state stepped in and for the first time, allocated its own $30 million towards crime victims services.
This year, advocacy groups are asking for an increased allocation of $75 million to help, part of a statewide campaign called “75 saves lives.”
According to YWCA Kalamazoo, which shared the statewide campaign on its Facebook page, federal VOCA funding is set to decrease by another 40% in 2026.
The state has still not finalized its budget, however, which VerWys said is a concern for providers.
Read the full article and Rachel VerWys’ interview on Mlive.
