Oregon victim services face major cuts as state considers funding proposals
BEAVERTON Ore. (KPTV) - Groups providing services for survivors of domestic and sexual violence are turning to the state for help after a cut to federal funds.
They say if essential programs were slashed, the community would be in danger.
“Domestic violence, child abuse, and sexual assault is all a part of my story,” said Lauren Riddle, one of those fighting to keep these lifelines going. “In 2017, I was in an extremely abusive relationship that nearly took my life.”
When she and her child were trying to escape that relationship, she didn’t have a support service. The Family Justice Center (FJC) of Washington County, where she now works, didn’t exist. She was functioning on autopilot.
“That’s not living, that’s barely surviving,” Riddle said.
SEE ALSO:
She said her healing truly started in 2021 when her abuser passed away, and once more when she found community with the FJC, where she was able to see the difference its services make for survivors like her.
“Programs that are giving families the opportunity to heal, and to give them dignity again…that is something I didn’t have and I would hate to see other families lose that,” Riddle explained.
She and other advocates say programs that provide immediate and long-term support to survivors are in crisis.
Federal funds from the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) have been cut- a funding stream vital to making victim services what they are today. In Oregon, we’d see a 42% cut in services by summer.
“When services are not available, people are not able to seek that safety, let alone healing, and hope for the future,” said FJC executive director Rachel Schutz.
She explains that community partners like child abuse resource centers, which provide medical care and counseling, are at risk, too.
“If the funding is cut and we are not restored to what are current level of services are, it would mean that we are only able to provide the immediate crisis need at the hospital or a 24-hour support line service,” said Brandy Selover, Sexual Assault Resource Center (SARC) Executive Director.
The SARC is the only sexual assault-specific organization in the Portland area, and one of just two in the entire state.
“I’m worried about the survivors and their families and their allies that are out there,” Selover added.
Organizations like the SARC and FJC invest in counseling, housing support, and work that won’t exist without government funds.
“That can look like longer wait lists or an inability to get specialized care when you need it,” Schutz said. “I worry that in some parts of the state, that could look like programs closing so survivors don’t have access to resources.”
Furthermore, she said abuse is far more common than people may realize. In 2024, service providers in the Portland area reported a 30-50% increase in need. Schutz said 57% of women in Oregon experience sexual assault.
“Unfortunately, being a survivor is more common than not,” Schutz said.
Riddle said lives are put directly at risk by a cut to the programming she wishes she had when she needed it.
“I’ve noticed a lot of survivors being able to heal at a more rapid pace than I was able to,” Riddle said.
At risk is also advocacy within the criminal justice system, working to secure safety for Oregon families.
Two bills- HB 3196, HB 3070, and a Department of Justice budget proposal, #307, will stand before the state legislature to allocate state funds to make up what’s being lost from VOCA.
“It can happen to anyone at any time in their life. I think almost everyone, everyone I know, has been impacted by it. So everyone who loves me has been impacted by it,” Riddle said. “The funding for these programs doesn’t just support survivors, it supports their families.”
Copyright 2025 KPTV-KPDX. All rights reserved.
