VOCA Bridge Information
Services and programming for crime victims and survivors across Massachusetts are in jeopardy as a result of devastating cuts to federal Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) funding.
The VOCA Bridge is a multi-year state funding request to the Massachusetts Legislature to bridge ongoing cuts to VOCA funded programs and maintain critical victim services. To date, the Legislature has allocated $40 million of the total request to support the VOCA Bridge and we are in need of an additional investment of $20 million in FY25 to sustain programming. Continued state support will stabilize essential victim service programs in every county of the state and ensure that access to high-quality, trauma informed services remain accessible amid catastrophic reductions in federal funding.
MOVA is seeking an investment from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to mitigate the declining VOCA funding.
$20 million is critically needed to avoid severe cuts to programming in FY25. An additional state investment will build upon the state’s support of VOCA Bridge funding in FY23 and FY24.
VOCA Bridge Updates
March 2024
MOVA is excited to share that the Healey-Driscoll Administration filed An Act making appropriations for the fiscal year 2024 on March 18, 2024, which includes $20 million for the VOCA Bridge. This would complete MOVA’s original request of $60 million in supplemental state funding, to be utilized in Fiscal Year (FY) 2025, to maintain critical victim service programming across the Commonwealth.
At this time, this does not interrupt MOVA’s advocacy efforts to include the VOCA Bridge in the FY25 annual budget. We are assessing both options and will be communicating directly with legislative leaders on next steps forward.
If you are interested in sharing your support of the inclusion of the VOCA Bridge in either vehicle with your legislators, please feel free to use our prepared advocacy materials in our digital toolkit, here.
Thank you for your continued interest and commitment to supporting the VOCA Bridge. We recognize there are several moving pieces, so MOVA will continue to provide additional information and updates regarding the VOCA Bridge advocacy.
For those interested in further participating in advocacy for the VOCA Bridge, MOVA will be hosting a VOCA Bridge Awareness Day at the Massachusetts State House on April 2nd, 2024. You can view more information regarding the event here.
Resources
To aid in your advocacy efforts, MOVA has put together some informational materials to support a request for the $20M needed annually to bridge impending cuts to VOCA programs to maintain victim services.