Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Victim Services Funding Freeze Mn 2025 topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Minnesota advocates say federal funding freeze threatens victim services statewide
Summary
State lawmakers and service providers told a legislative briefing that a federal pause on victim-services funds has left shelters, hotlines and child advocacy programs facing layoffs, reduced services and possible closures without quick state action.
ST. PAUL, Minn. — State lawmakers and victim-service providers warned Tuesday that a federal pause on grants for crime victims has put Minnesota programs at immediate financial risk and could force program cuts, layoffs and service closures across the state.
Sen. Claire Umu Verbatin, DFL–District 66, who identified herself as the Senate author of a bill to increase state funding for victim services, said the suspension of federal funds has “cast a cloud over our progress” and called the situation “a crisis right now.” She said the funding supports “shelters, hotlines, legal assistance, counseling” that are “essential lifelines for survivors.”
The concern centers on multiple federal funding streams for victim services, including the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) and grants under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). Kelly Mueller, a DFL state representative and chair of the House Public Safety Committee, said VOCA funding has been unstable in recent years and that Minnesota’s FY2024 VOCA grant represented a 42% cut from 2023. Mueller said the U.S. Department of Justice office that oversees VAWA grants, the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW), had “withdrawn notices of funding opportunities” and warned grantees not to finalize applications.
Advocates from statewide and local organizations described practical impacts on services. Kenosha Alexander, interim executive director of the Minnesota Coalition Against Sexual Assault (MANCASA), said its more than 60 member programs provide advocacy and supportive services and that the federal pause already is forcing programs to scale back staff and services. Jen Paulzines, chief executive officer of Tubman, said federal dollars represent about 29% of Tubman’s annual budget and that Tubman serves roughly 18,000 people a year. Paulzines said, “A third of that is a big, big loss, to thousands and thousands of survivors.”
Speakers gave program-level estimates of lost or frozen funds. Tubman reported being poised to be out about $3,000,000 in reimbursements now, with an additional $1.2 million that could be affected if the freeze persists. A speaker representing Minnesota’s children’s advocacy centers said the centers and a regional center face an estimated $4,500,000 loss. Artika Roller, executive director of Cornerstone Advocacy Service in Bloomington, said her program was notified on short notice—one Monday—then had funds stop the next day at 5 p.m., affecting transitional housing and a grant-funded partnership serving deaf and hard-of-hearing clients.
Advocates described how the freeze complicates day-to-day operations that already rely on reimbursement-based federal grants. “We do the work and then we draw down and get reimbursed,” Tubman and other providers said; without reimbursement, agencies must decide whether to reduce services immediately, risk overextending themselves, or suspend planned expansions. Guadalupe Lopez, executive director of Violence Free Minnesota, said her coalition is about 80% federally funded and warned that dissolving national and state technical-assistance providers would set back prevention and systems-change work nationwide and in tribal nations.
Lawmakers at the briefing said they are drafting state-level responses. Sen. Umu Verbatin and Rep. Mueller said they authored companion bills to shore up state funding for crime victim services; they urged bipartisan support and immediate action. Mueller said the bill is bipartisan but described resistance from some Republican colleagues in committee, saying that when she raises the federal freezes “we are met with laughter.” Umu Verbatin said advocates cannot wait.
No formal vote or committee action was recorded at the briefing. Attorney General Keith Ellison was noted as sending regrets and did not attend.
Advocates urged the public to contact legislators and called on state leaders to stabilize funding immediately while legal challenges and federal agency actions unfold. The sponsors said they will seek budget language and appropriations to cover gaps while the federal situation remains uncertain.
