A short conversation with Sojourner House CEO Vanessa Volz about the V.I.C.T.I.M. Act

Recent data shows that nearly one in two Rhode Islanders have experienced domestic violence. That's a staggering number. It's unacceptable that the state hasn't made victim services a fiscal priority.

Vanessa Volz has served as the President and CEO of Sojourner House since 2011. She led the nonprofit during difficult times. Volz helped spearhead new initiatives, including an immigration advocacy legal program, a counseling program staffed by licensed clinicians, and a supportive housing program tailored to the unique needs of survivors. The agency is now also a housing developer, acquiring, rehabilitating, and leasing apartments. I spoke with her by telephone about the V.I.C.T.I.M. Act, which would establish a line item in Rhode Island’s budget to provide funding for nonprofits that work with victims of crime.

Steve Ahlquist: Hello, Vanessa. To prepare for this interview, I rewatched your February press conference.

I want to ask about the VOCA cuts¹ because I haven’t seen any reporting indicating that the situation has improved.

Vanessa Volz: It has not, and we won’t know what the funding situation for VOCA will look like until later this year because contracts are awarded on October 1st. In the current grant cycle, we experienced a roughly 40% cut across the board for grantees. I’m hearing that they’re not expecting additional cuts to VOCA.

It’s important to note that VOCA has been cut several times over the last few years, so no additional cuts this year is a victory, but not a great victory, if true. We don’t have that information yet.

Steve Ahlquist: Do you want to tell me a little about the V.I.C.T.I.M. Act, how that relates to VOCA, and why that’s important?

Vanessa Volz: Sure. There are layers to this. The V.I.C.T.I.M. Act stands for Victims of Crime Trauma-Informed Mobilization Act. The bills before the General Assembly, (H5390 and S0258), would create a dedicated line item in Rhode Island’s state budget to provide funding for nonprofits that work with victims of crime. We’ve been working on this bill for a couple of years now. Originally, this was a response to the Federal VOCA Program cuts you asked about. VOCA is also an acronym - there are so many acronyms in this work - but VOCA stands for Victims of Crime Act. It’s funded by fines that are levied at the federal level and then distributed to the states. There have been cuts to VOCA recently, including this past year when there was a significant, approximately 40%, cut to VOCA.

In response, victim services agencies like Sojourner House have been trying to figure out a way to fill these funding gaps because VOCA funds critical, lifesaving, supportive services for victims.

VOCA doesn’t just provide funding to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, although that is very important. VOCA has a broader definition of a ‘victim of crime’ that could include child abuse, gang-related violence, or any victimization that someone might experience and need support for.

We started to talk seriously about the idea of a state funding source last year, but the bills were introduced late in the session, and we couldn’t get much traction. This year, 27 organizations have been working to push this forward.

At some point, all these organizations have received, or do receive, VOCA funds, and we’ve all had our programs cut or reduced somehow. We’re trying to demonstrate to the General Assembly that we need Rhode Island to step up and help. This isn’t just about the funding gap for VOCA; this is a larger issue in terms of the prioritization of the state’s resources. We’ve never had a dedicated line item for victim services in Rhode Island. Our neighboring states, including Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, and Pennsylvania, have already carved out state funding to support victim services agencies, and we feel it’s overdue for Rhode Island to step up.

Steve Ahlquist: This is a tough year to make that ask because there are a lot of cuts coming from the federal government, and the budget will be tight.

Vanessa Volz: Absolutely. When we started working on this last year, we didn’t know what would happen, but this year has reinforced our message that the State of Rhode Island needs to invest in victim services because we rely on federal funds. And it’s not just Sojourner House - many nonprofit social service agencies depend on federal funds.

One thing I’ve talked about with legislators, which I think they understand, is that even under good circumstances, even without our federal grants at risk of being cut, some federal grant funding sources require matching funds. Colleagues in other states tell me this is where their state legislature will step in and provide state funding so they can meet their grant matching requirements and continue to be competitive for future grants.

Sojourner House has grown rapidly over the last several years. We have a $12 million annual budget. We’re helping more people than we’ve ever helped before. Eighty percent of our budget comes from federal sources, and many of those federal sources require matching funds. We receive very little money from the State of Rhode Island to provide the support that helps Rhode Island residents. We’re trying to emphasize that.

We understand that it’s a tight budget, but I keep reminding everyone that this is a matter of priorities. Just because we haven’t prioritized this issue in the past as a state, that doesn’t mean we need to keep making that same mistake and not prioritize victims.

Steve Ahlquist: I agree. I was summoning my inner Speaker of the House with that question. That’s what he tells me when I ask him questions about funding.

Vanessa Volz: He has said the same thing to me, and I have said the same thing to him that I just said to you - Rhode Island hasn’t prioritized victims. Organizations funded by VOCA serve over 42,000 Rhode Islanders every year. We’re not talking about an insignificant number of people. These are people who reported the incidents and sought help. There are many people affected by violence who never seek help. The true number of people affected by this is astronomical.

Steve Ahlquist: That’s terrible. This is a tough subject, so thank you for doing the work you do.

You have some pretty good “legislative champions” on your side. You’ve got the House and Senate Committee Chairs for the Judiciary.

Vanessa Volz: Yes.

Steve Ahlquist: That shows that this issue has some legs. What are your chances of getting this passed?

Vanessa Volz: We have a fighting chance. I don’t know that we’ll be funded in full, but we would be happy with a dedicated line item starting this year, and then it will be something we can work on moving forward. We have a Senate hearing this Thursday. We had our House hearing two weeks ago. Many organizations support this. It’s a tough budget year, but we’re trying to impress legislators with the seriousness of this issue and the lifesaving nature of these organizations’ work.

Steve Ahlquist: It is impactful work. I’ve met people who have availed themselves of your services.

Vanessa Volz: Recent data shows that nearly one in two Rhode Islanders has experienced domestic violence. That’s a staggering number. Because of that, it’s unacceptable that the state hasn’t made victim services a fiscal priority.

Steve Ahlquist: I agree.

I want to ask about the Maternal Health Program. I’m very interested in that because of the proposed federal HHS cuts.

Vanessa Volz: Sojourner House has a joint project with the Rhode Island Department of Health to provide support to pregnant and new parents who are at risk of domestic violence, because we know that during pregnancy and right after birth, new parents are at higher risk of injury or experiencing abuse. We’ve done everything from providing counseling and supportive services to creating a mentorship program where we pair new parents with individuals who have children, some of whom have experienced abuse, and can work as mentors. We provide training to the mentors. That’s a program we’ve been running for a few years.

At the risk of stating the obvious, someone who’s just given or is about to give birth is in a vulnerable situation, and we need to provide more support to those individuals, not less. We’re concerned about any cuts that would impact programs that provide that specialized kind of service.

Steve Ahlquist: When you mentioned that one in two people in Rhode Island have experienced domestic violence and only 42,000 have reported it and been served by your efforts, I saw that it’s a gigantic problem. $30 million, in that sense, sounds like very little money.

Vanessa Volz: You’re right.

Steve Ahlquist: We need to make a dent in this to show that we’re interested in doing something about the problem.

Vanessa Volz: Many people wonder why this isn’t a bigger issue, but we have a history of not making it a bigger issue. That’s why I keep coming back to prioritization. We know more now, and we know better. We have concrete data about how many people are affected. We have demonstrated interventions that help support victims. Now is the time for the state to step up and ensure everyone can be safe and secure in their home. In a time that’s so politically divisive, I hope we can come together and agree that Rhode Islanders, across the state, should have safe, secure places to call home.

Steve Ahlquist: Thank you for speaking with me.

1. The Office for Victims of Crime, established by the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) of 1984, administers the Crime Victims Fund. Fines paid by convicted federal offenders finance the fund.