Nonprofits, survivors and council members urge restoration of D.C. victim‑services and legal‑aid funding

Councilmember Brooke Pinto, chairwoman of the Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety, opened the June 12 public hearing on Mayor Muriel Bowser's proposed FY26 budget for the Office of Victim Services and Justice Grants (OVSJG) in Room 412 of the John A. Wilson Building. Pinto said the mayor's proposal "offers a total of $83,300,000 for OVSJG, which reflects a decrease of almost 24%."

Why it matters

Nonprofit legal‑aid groups, domestic‑violence shelters, reentry programs and trauma‑care providers told the committee the reductions would force layoffs and cut services that thousands of residents rely on for safety, housing and legal protection. Witnesses pressed the council to restore funding for two areas they said are most at risk: the Access to Justice Initiative, which funds civil legal aid, and OVSJG's victim‑services grants.

Key figures and requests

- Mayor's proposed OVSJG total: $83,373,718.79 (as announced by the agency). - Access to Justice proposed in the mayor's FY26 budget: about $10.4 million, a roughly 67% cut from last year's level (witnesses said the FY25 baseline was about $31.6 million). - OVSJG victim‑services line in the mayor's proposal: roughly $50.0 million, down about $5.8 million from the prior published budget figures after federal grants were reestimated. - The Victim Assistance Network (VAN) and many providers asked the council to add $9.33 million in recurring local funding to restore victim services to a $59.41 million baseline and to restore $21.2 million to the Access to Justice Initiative.

What witnesses said

Survivors and service…