Victim-services staff say VOCA funding cuts will reduce grant coverage of staff salaries; commission thanked staff for services

Katie Fox, a victim-services coordinator, presented the commission with the biannual VOCA grant update and warned commissioners that recent VOCA funding reductions will materially affect the office.

Fox said the VOCA grant has been "significantly cut," explaining the grant will cover only a portion of a VOCA-funded employee's salary starting in July. She estimated a roughly 10% reduction in the first year and about 25% in the second year, and gave approximate dollar figures — about $10,000 the first year and about $20,000 the second — as the scale of reductions. Fox also described purchases made with prior VOCA funds that improved victim services (laptops, iPads, headphones, a soft interview room and play area that allows victims to see children while discussing cases). She invited commissioners to visit the Third Floor suite to see the improvements.

Commissioner Gardner thanked Fox and staff for prioritizing victim comfort and for the community impact of the grant-funded resources. Commissioners had no additional questions beyond clarifying the dollar impact, which Fox said she would follow up on.

What's next: Fox said the office will continue pursuing other resources and asked the county to consider continuing to provide victim assistance items where possible as state/federal grant funding shifts.