CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Cleveland Rape Crisis has lost close to $3 million since the coronavirus pandemic hit in March.
Sarah Trimble, chief external affairs officer for the rape crisis center, said the cuts could not come at a worse time; hotline calls have more than doubled from 2015 to 2019 -- 3,339 in 2015 to 6,924 in 2019. The organization has cut its workforce by 20% in the last year.
“These funding cuts come at the same time our fundraising events have been canceled due to COVID-19 and while some private funders are changing strategic direction,” Trimble said. “There is no question that this puts our support to survivors at risk during a time when people need more help than ever."
The largest source of funding cuts was handed down by the federal Victims of Crime Act money, which comes from criminal fines, penalties and assessments from the U.S. Attorneys' Office, forfeited bail bonds and other fees collected by federal courts and the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
The Attorney General’s Office says the fund cut $2,390,502 to the crisis center, one of largest-funded programs from the fund.
The fund for Ohio has been cut from $112 million in 2018 to $55.5 million this year, and Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost has called on the U.S. Congress to increase funding to crime victims.
The mission of the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center is to support survivors of rape and sexual abuse, promote healing and prevention, and advocate for social change. During the pandemic, the crisis center has offered in-person support with COVID-sensitive safety protocols and telehealth services to embedded services in communities where survivors with the most needs live.
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October 19, 2020 at 09:52PM
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Hotline calls increase as Victims of Crime funding cut for Cleveland Rape Crisis Center - cleveland.com
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