Investing in Victim Services Means Being There When New Yorkers Need Us Most
Victim assistance programs provide invaluable support at moments when people need it most. Across New York, these programs stand beside individuals, families and communities impacted by crime, violence, and abuse, providing immediate support in times of crisis, helping victims navigate medical and criminal justice systems, offering counseling and advocacy, supporting safety and recovery, and connecting people with critical financial and community resources.
These services are especially important for New Yorkers who already face barriers to getting help. Children, older adults, people with disabilities, individuals living in rural and underserved communities, and those facing financial, transportation or other barriers may have fewer places to turn after experiencing violence or crime. Victim assistance programs help bridge those gaps, providing individualized, culturally responsive care and connecting people with services that might otherwise be out of reach.
As providers, our job is simple in principle, even when the work itself is incredibly complex: when someone experiences violence, abuse or other crime, we are there. We help them understand what comes next, give them choices and support, and make sure they do not have to navigate the aftermath alone.
At St. Peter’s Health Partners, our Crime Victim Services programs serve more than 6,000 victims and survivors each year, while reaching tens of thousands more through prevention, education and training. Our teams provide 24-hour crisis response, advocacy, counseling and trauma therapy, and specialized forensic medical care for victims of violence. Our statewide programs extend that reach, bringing specialized pediatric forensic care to children in more than 35 counties and providing 50 hospitals across New York with 24/7 access to specially trained forensic clinicians.
Through this work, we collaborate closely with victim assistance providers across New York and see firsthand the expertise, compassion and extraordinary commitment they bring to this work every day. I have had the privilege of knowing many of the people doing this work across New York State, and have tremendous respect for their dedication to victims and survivors.
That perspective has given me a unique view of the value of New York’s victim-service network, and of what happens when the right service, and the right person, is there at the moment someone needs them most.
That is why Governor Kathy Hochul’s historic investment in victim services is so significant.
This year, Governor Hochul committed $53.8 million in state funding for victim assistance programs. Today, she announced an additional $36 million investment. Combined with federal Victims of Crime Act funding, this represents an unprecedented investment supporting victim services across the state through the New York State Office of Victim Services – reaching 284 service providers statewide, including 35 newly funded providers.
Those are big numbers. But for those of us doing this work every day, what matters most is what those dollars make possible.
They mean that when a survivor of sexual assault arrives at a hospital in the middle of the night, someone is available to help.
They mean that a victim trying to navigate the criminal justice system does not have to do it alone.
They mean that a survivor of domestic violence trying to build a life free from abuse can have an advocate beside them as they navigate safety planning, the courts, housing, financial instability and other barriers to independence.
They mean that a child who has experienced abuse can receive specialized, trauma-informed care in a safe, child-centered environment designed around their unique need.
They mean that an older adult, a person with a disability, someone living in a rural community, or a survivor facing language, transportation, or financial barriers can still access help tailored to their needs.
They mean that a family devastated by gun violence can have someone beside them to help navigate not only profound grief and trauma, but the financial and practical consequences that can follow.
And they mean that someone who experienced violence months or even years ago can still reach out and find counseling, advocacy, and support when they are ready.
This investment is particularly important at a time when the federal funding landscape for victim services has become increasingly uncertain. Victim assistance programs cannot build and sustain a skilled workforce, maintain 24-hour services or develop specialized programs if they are constantly preparing for the next dramatic funding reduction.
State investment provides something equally important to the dollars themselves: stability.
Governor Hochul has spoken about the personal significance this work holds for her family, including her mother’s work supporting survivors of domestic violence. Her administration’s decision to make this substantial investment demonstrates an understanding that victim services are not an optional addition to our public safety system. They are an essential part of it.
For victim assistance providers, this commitment provides greater stability at a time of considerable uncertainty and helps preserve a network of services that New Yorkers rely upon in some of the most difficult moments of their lives. Governor Hochul and New York State deserve recognition for making that investment and for recognizing the importance of sustaining these services statewide.
No one plans to become a victim of crime. No one expects to need an advocate, a forensic examiner, a trauma therapist or someone to help them understand a victim compensation application. But on the day that they do, New York needs those services to be there.
For those of us entrusted with providing them, this investment means we can keep doing exactly that.
Lindsey Crusan-Muse
Director, St. Peter’s Crime Victim Services
St. Peter’s Health Partners
