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Victim services and home‑mod funding urged for CACs, shelters and rural aging services
Summary
Callers including Child Advocacy Center staff, a Valdez domestic violence shelter director and independent living advocates asked the Senate Finance Committee to restore or increase state support for child advocacy centers, domestic violence shelter services, and home modification grants tied to the Alaska Mental Health Trust recommendation.
Multiple callers told the Senate Finance Committee on Feb. 7, 2025, that state funding is needed to sustain child‑focused and victim services across Alaska, including Child Advocacy Centers (CACs), domestic violence shelters and home modification grants that help seniors and people with disabilities remain in their communities.
Eileen Arnold, director of a children’s advocacy center in Bethel (Ekinanta Egayukhovat), described CAC services as ‘‘a child friendly atmosphere’’ where specially trained forensic interviewers — often Yup’ik in her region — work with multidisciplinary partners including Alaska State Troopers, local law enforcement, Office of Children’s Services and district attorneys. She told senators CACs ‘‘are really proud’’ of accreditation and that the centers largely have been funded by federal dollars; because the state is a principal user of CACs she said state support is warranted.
Rowena Palmer, executive director of Advocates for Victims of Violence in Valdez, said her shelter serves a region of more than 1,000 square miles, is regularly full, and increasingly relies on hotels and B&Bs to house clients. She warned that continued cuts would force elimination of ‘‘core services’’ including after‑school programs and could lead to loss of trained advocates.
Advocates for home modification funding also testified. Janine Allen, advocate and veteran director care program coordinator at Southeast Alaska Independent Living (SAIL) in Haines, called attention to the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority recommendation and told the committee the historic funding ceiling for home modifications and upgrades is $1,150,000; the current proposed FY26 budget reduces that by roughly half, she said, and SAIL requests a $575,000 top‑off to return to historic levels. Arctic Access, a Northwest provider represented by a caller identifying as Joyce Gilroy, made similar requests on behalf of village aging and disability services.
Why it matters: callers described situations where reduced state support would push people from homes into institutional settings, disrupt coordinated child maltreatment response, and strain rural service networks. ‘‘Without us, many people would be in much worse situations,’’ said the Arctic Access caller about village home‑mod and access work.
The committee did not vote on these requests during the session; the appeals were part of ongoing budget hearings on the mental health and operating budgets.
