Victim services director warns cuts to federal grants could close Vermont’s victim services hub and jeopardize subgrantee programs

Jennifer Pullman, director of the Vermont Center for Crime Victim Services, and Carol Brochu, the center’s director of finance and administration, told the House Appropriations Committee on April 17 that the center depends on federal funding for a majority of its operations and that further reductions or termination of federal grants would severely curtail victim services across Vermont.

“Other than the military, we are an outlier in terms of how much we rely on federal funds,” Pullman said, summarizing materials the center provided to the committee and a Joint Fiscal Office report. She said federal funding makes up about 55% of the center’s budget and that the agency receives less than $2 million in state general funds, most of which are pass-through.

Pullman and Brochu said the center serves as the state’s primary pass-through and administrator for federal victim services grants. Pullman told lawmakers the center issues over 200 grants annually and supports 57…