Children’s Advocacy Center urges county support as federal grants shrink

Julia Reetz, chair of the governing board of the Children’s Advocacy Center, told the Champaign County Board during the FY26 budget briefing that the center expects at least a 20% reduction in a major federal grant and is seeking more stable local funding. The center provides forensically trained interviews of children who are alleged victims of sexual or physical abuse and refers families to counseling; those services are funded primarily by federal VOCA grants, an attorney general grant, United Way contributions and local law-enforcement donations. "We are pretty excited because we have spent Elizabeth and I have spent a tremendous amount of time applying for more funding to try to compensate for the loss that we anticipate," Reetz said. Reetz and staff said no county general-fund dollars currently support the center and asked the board to…