Crime Victims Center Cuts Five Positions

The Broome County center lost nearly $540,000 in annual federal funding, affecting services for domestic violence victims.

Updated on Nov. 7, 2026 in Sex Crimes

Crime Victims Center Cuts Five Positions

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Should federal funding for domestic violence victim services be restored?

The Crime Victims Assistance Center in Broome County has cut five positions after losing nearly $540,000 in annual funding. The lost funding would have supported victims of domestic violence.

Why it matters

The cuts reflect how federal funding reductions are reaching local victim services in New York, with domestic violence programs relying heavily on federal dollars. Statewide, programs have called for grant reform and adequate state backing.

The Crime Victims Assistance Center cut two counselors, a legal advocate, a case manager, and an outreach staff member, with three more positions expected to go without new funding. The state has not explained how it set each program's award amount, and contracts for the current period remain unexecuted.

The players

Crime Victims Assistance Center

A Broome County nonprofit that provides counseling, legal advocacy, and case management to crime victims, and which collaborates with Binghamton University.

Kathy Hochul

The Governor of New York, who restored $11.7 million to domestic violence programs in August 2026.

New York State Office of Victims Services

The New York state agency that administers crime victim grants and determined the funding awards for domestic violence programs.

The details

The Crime Victims Assistance Center in Broome County lost nearly $540,000 in annual funding that would have supported victims of domestic violence. The center has joined statewide calls for grant reform as New York's crime victim services face federal cuts, including roughly $700 million removed from the Crime Victims Fund in 2024.

2024: Approximately $700 million was cut from the Crime Victims Fund.
Summer 2026: The Office of Victim Services cut $19 million from domestic violence program grants.
August 2026: Gov. Kathy Hochul restored $11.7 million to domestic violence programs.
October 2026: The new contract period began, and domestic violence programs had not received executed contracts.

Legal Context

The local cuts follow the approximately $700 million removed from the federal Crime Victims Fund in 2024, which has pushed state agencies to decide how to allocate shrinking grant pools. Statewide, the Office of Victim Services' $19 million reduction to domestic violence grants became a central point of contention before the partial restoration.

Residents seeking counseling, legal advocacy, or case management for domestic violence or other crimes should contact local victim service providers directly, as staffing reductions may affect appointment availability. Survivors can also reach statewide support through the New York State Office of Victim Services while programs navigate pending contracts.

The takeaway

Stable funding for victim services depends on state and federal decisions that can change quickly, and survivors may see the effects in reduced staffing and delayed contracts. Watching how New York resolves the pending domestic violence grants will show whether restored funding reaches local providers in time.

What happens next

The Crime Victims Assistance Center expects to eliminate three additional positions without new funding, and domestic violence programs are awaiting executed state contracts for the current period.