On Feb. 12, Rhode Island legislators and victim service organizations held a kickoff press conference at the State House Library to advocate for the passage of the Victims of Crime Trauma Informed Mobilization, or VICTIM, Act.
The act would set aside $30 million in annual state funding to fund organizations that provide services to “minor victims of child abuse, sexual assault survivors, elder abuse victims, domestic violence victims and survivors of human trafficking, community violence and gun violence,” according to the bill. The VICTIM Act was introduced in both chambers of the Rhode Island General Assembly earlier this month.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that over 40% of Rhode Island women and men have experienced domestic violence — stalking, sexual violence or physical violence by an intimate partner — in their lifetimes.
The Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence — an organization composed of 10 full and affiliate agencies — received over 12,000 helpline calls in 2023 alone, according to Lucy Rios, the coalition’s executive director.
Sojourner House, an organization providing services to abuse victims, is another group organizing support behind the bill. Domestic violence is a “public health epidemic,” said Vanessa Volz, president and CEO of Sojourner House.
Last week’s press conference was hosted by 27 organizations that provide a variety of victim services. According to the act, victim service organizations provide a variety of resources, including support at and immediately following crimes, emergency housing, a 24/7 statewide hotline, restraining order advocacy, court support and more.
These services are “not luxuries,” said Savanna, a victim of domestic violence whose last name has been omitted for safety concerns. “They’re vital resources.”
Volz added that these organizations provide “longer term sustainable solutions to help victims move on with their lives.”
The proposed VICTIM Act comes in the wake of significant cuts to federal funding for crime victims, Volz said. The 1984 Victims of Crime Act, a federal law which distributes funds via state programs and provides financial assistance to victims of violent crime, was cut by 40% last year.
The funding proposed by the act is “crucial” for the state right now, Savanna added.
Rhode Island is one of the few U.S. states currently lacking a dedicated line item in the state budget to support victim services, Volz said. Sojourner House — which draws 80% of its funding from federal dollars — has been forced to scrap two of their projects this year completely due to this financial strain, she added.
Rios said that programs have been cut “to the bone,” adding that federal freezes and executive orders from the new presidential administration are creating further anxiety. Because of these national changes, victim service organizations in the area are concerned that they may need to eliminate more services or even close community programs entirely, she said.
But with the cuts to federal funding for these services, the bill’s passage could “ensure an added level of security” for domestic violence agencies, Savanna added.
Advocates attempted to introduce a similar bill late into the previous legislative session, but “it didn’t get any traction” and failed to pass, Rios said.
This year’s attempt is still “not going to be an easy win,” Rios added, explaining that bill supporters plan to continue lobbying efforts in the coming weeks.
But even if the bill does not pass this year, Rios said that the participating organizations will incorporate legislators’ feedback to pass the bill in the future. “The need isn’t going to go away,” she added.
If passed, the act could be “life-saving for a lot of people,” Savanna said.
