Coalition asks for $3 million to stabilize sexual-assault centers amid federal funding losses

Rafael De Castro, executive director of the Louisiana Foundation Against Sexual Assault, and Morgan Lamondre of STAR told the committee Louisiana lacks a dedicated state funding stream for sexual-assault survivor services and that recent federal funding declines (VOCA, ARPA) have left centers financially exposed.

De Castro said accredited sexual-assault centers provide forensic accompaniment, long-term trauma therapy, hotline and legal advocacy services that are often free and confidential; he presented service counts from the most recent year (1,728 survivors served by member programs, 4,780 hotline calls answered, nearly 1,300 legal-advocacy services and 1,500 medical advocacy services). He asked for $3,000,000 in state funding to stabilize and expand services with a particular focus on survivors of non-intimate-partner sexual violence and rural coverage.

Morgan Lamondre said centers have struggled to replace federal grant dollars and that unmet need includes survivors who do not fit domestic-violence or child-advocacy referral pathways. Survivor Kelly Millett spoke about seven years of court dates and credited Hearts of Hope with advocacy and accompaniment through the criminal-justice process. Representatives indicated willingness to follow up and requested more details on funding streams and operating needs.