WXMI — This week, funding for the Children’s Advocacy Centers of Michigan, a crucial resource for young victims of crime and their families, was essentially halved in a stunning blow to the decades-old service.
The cuts were so substantial, some of the state’s 35 CAC locations may have to close permanently. Others may have to lay off staff.
Since 1984, CACs have provided therapy to child victims of violence, neglect, and abuse and have conducted forensic interviews in a clinical setting to help law enforcement determine facts of cases. After submitting their original request for proposal on May 24, 2022, CAC was told to expect around $12.5 million in funding.
This week though, the state announced they would have to make do with only $6.5 million – nearly half of what they were anticipating. The cuts will take effect on October 1, 2022, leaving the CAC just more than a month to come up with the remainder of their funding.
“Had we known, we would’ve asked for more in the state budget,” said CAC Executive Director Julia Bird. “At this point, the state budget is finalized.”
In an interview Thursday, Bird’s voice wavered as she discussed the massive impact this loss in dollars will have on young victims.
“This is the children who are going to be hurt by this,” she said. “I think it’s a catastrophe that this has happened, and I think we could’ve known a long time prior to this.”
The source of the funding is the federal Victims of Crime Act (VOCA). The act dictates that money received from criminals who are ordered to pay restitution, punitive damages, and other fines and fees be distributed to organizations that assist in criminal investigations. Bird pointed to recurring funds from the Volkswagen emissions scandal as one example. The funds are then filtered through the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, which, Bird says, gave the CAC very little notice of the depleted funds.
While large prosecutions, like the Volkswagen case, were more common under the Obama administration, Bird says that was less so the case under the Trump administration, and the funding began to dry up over the years since he took office.
“This shortage is incredibly problematic,” said Melissa Werkman, Child Advocacy Center of Kent County, who experienced a 54% cut in their funding year-over-year.
“We estimate we’re missing upwards of 14,000 kids in Kent County despite all the hard work we already do, so this does not help in that effort and it’s very concerning,” she continued. “This will greatly increase the wait time that kids have to wait in order to get mental health therapeutic services. It will increase the wait time that our caregivers will have to access case management.”
Werkman added that this will also impede the investigatory process for local law enforcement, who lean on CACs to conduct interviews after crimes and act as an advocate to families who have young victims.
“They rely heavily on CACs to be able to thoroughly investigate and prosecute child sexual abuse cases,” Werkman said, “and if we cannot provide our services, they cannot do that to the extent that they need to.”
On top of that, Michigan has some extremely stringent confidentiality laws which require the addition of victim advocates at every CAC branch. It’s an added and necessary cost that the centers may not be able to support anymore. Bird says 80% of CACs in Michigan already reported being underfunded.
Individually, at each CAC branch in Michigan, cuts in funding range anywhere from 19% to 79% and beyond.
The sole CAC in the Upper Peninsula, located in Delta County, services thousands of square miles on only $73,000. For some, it’s already an hours-long round trip to get crucial services and therapy for child victims.
CARE House of Oakland County, founded in 1977 as the CAC serving that county’s 1.2 million residents, received no VOCA funding this time around after receiving $817,000 in the current fiscal year. They will have to lay off staff at best and close their doors entirely at worst.
“If every person in the state could hear and see the faces of these children and hear their stories that they tell, I can tell you right now we would not be in this situation,” said Bird, who is now at a loss for how to make up the funding gaps just six months into her new role as CAC Michigan executive director.
“We would have definitely asked for more in the state budget, we would’ve been knocking on the doors of foundations,” she continued. “At this point, I really think that our only option is to plead with the state to please find a solution for us and to help us.”
Late Thursday, MDHHS sent FOX 17 the following statement:
Federal funds support Children’s Advocacy Centers and crime victim programs in Michigan and are administered by the U.S. Department of Justice. Michigan has seen a 50 percent reduction in Victims of Crime Act funds since its highest federal award, with another 38 percent reduction on the horizon. The proposed reductions in Michigan are not unique across the country and are a result of decreased federal funding. Other Victims of Crime Act-funded service programs in Michigan will be facing similar cuts as contracts are rebid in the coming year.
MDHHS will be taking the proactive step of assessing fiscal year 2022 Victims of Crime Act Funding lapses after the close of the current fiscal year and working to increase Children’s Advocacy Center contracts through an amendment process if additional funds are available. We also will be assessing other funds that are available to support these important programs statewide.
