Domestic-violence center urges county support, cites study that frames aid as taxpayer savings

Harbor of Johnston County asked the Board of Commissioners to include local support in the FY 2026–27 budget to sustain shelter, counseling and crisis services as demand rises.

"Harbor is essential to this community," said Kay Johnson, Harbor’s executive director, describing a year in which Harbor served more than 3,100 people and saw double-digit increases in sexual-assault clients. She warned that the organization’s operating budget had fallen from $1.7 million to $1.4 million even as need has climbed.

Michael Sims summarized findings from a Jamie Kimble Foundation study — a local cost-analysis produced with academic partners — to argue that funding Harbor produces taxpayer savings by reducing law-enforcement responses, court and incarceration costs. Sims presented a county-level estimate of the economic burden of domestic violence and said, for example, a 20–30% reduction in repeat incidents could produce substantial public-cost reductions in policing and judicial expenses.

Harbor leaders also said federal victim‑fund support to North Carolina has declined markedly, a figure framed in testimony as falling from $103 million in 2018 to $24 million in 2024. Commissioners pressed Harbor staff on data sources and implementation details; Harbor cited the North Carolina Division of Women and Youth and the North Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence as primary sources for statewide statistics.

Harbor asked the board to consider its FY 26–27 funding request to expand staff and services, including more clinical capacity to treat trauma and enhance prevention. The board thanked speakers and requested additional documentation to evaluate the county’s return-on-investment for any proposed grant.

Next steps: Harbor will supply follow-up materials and the board will consider funding in upcoming budget sessions.