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Survivor services at risk: SAFE Alliance programs and county funding requests dominate public comment
Summary
Multiple public commenters told the court that SAFE Alliance lost forensic-exam capacity and that shelters and other programs face funding cuts; callers asked the court to consider emergency county funding to reopen services and to shield survivor programs from budget reductions.
Multiple residents and social-service workers told the Commissioners Court that recent budget shifts have put local survivor services at risk.
"That program completed 95% of these exams within Travis County. The loss is devastating," said Zoe Cabrera, a licensed master social worker, describing the closure of the sexual-assault forensic exam program at Eloise House and asking the court to provide emergency funding to maintain shelters and forensic services.
Public commenters framed the issue as both a budget question and a public-safety concern, arguing that early intervention and forensic services prevent greater downstream costs and harms. One speaker urged the court to prioritize funding for legal defense and rapid-response programs for immigrants and immigrant families in the wake of federal enforcement activity noted earlier in the meeting.
Judge Andy Brown acknowledged the public testimony and the court signaled interest in weighing emergency measures within the constraints of state law and the county budget process.
