Organizations are seeking legislators’ help to keep offering services
COLUMBIA — When Courtney Hunter’s 6-year-old son was killed in a drive-by shooting, she didn’t know what to do next.
As Hunter dealt with the grief of losing her son Winston in May 2022, she relied on a victim’s advocate to help her figure out what she needed to do and where she needed to be, letting her know about important court dates and helping connect her with resources.
“I don’t think I would be where I’m at today if it wasn’t for them,” said Hunter, who lives in Woodford.
The types of services on which Hunter relied are in jeopardy as federal funding dries up for organizations dedicated to helping victims of crimes, advocates said during a rally Wednesday at the Statehouse.
Eight years ago, the state Attorney General’s Office received just over $50 million to distribute among organizations focused on helping victims of crimes, including survivors of domestic abuse and sexual assault.
By 2023, the latest grant cycle, that number was closer to $12 million, which they have four years to spend, according to federal spending data.
Organizations have turned to the state Legislature to make up some of the difference from the dwindling federal dollars.
Last year, legislators dedicated $5 million for grants to help victims’ advocates.
Attorney General Alan Wilson asked for $15 million this year.
That would be “enough to keep the doors open and keep the services going to the men and women who are providing invaluable services,” Wilson said.
But the House last month included just $3.5 million for crime victim assistance grants in its spending plan for the fiscal year starting July 1.
Senators are poised to offer more. The budget proposal advanced to the Senate floor Wednesday by the Senate Finance Committee provides $7.5 million for those grants, which is still only half of Wilson’s request. The final budget passed by the Legislature could provide some amount between $3.5 million and $7.5 million.
The Department of Social Services, however, is set to receive the additional $1.2 million it requested in the coming fiscal year to help support 13 domestic violence shelters that meet the state’s qualifications. Both the House and Senate Finance Committee plans fund that request.
The bulk of federal grant funding for victims’ services comes from the Crime Victims Fund, which was created under a 1984 federal law.
Money for those grants comes from fines and penalties collected through convictions in federal cases. In 2021, then-President Joe Biden signed a law that added federal settlement agreements and other attorneys’ fees to the fund. That could eventually help bring the fund closer to previous highs, but it hasn’t yet made a major difference, advocates said.
In the meantime, some nonprofits, local law enforcement agencies and other organizations are left in the lurch as they search for other sources of funding, advocates said Wednesday.
“The last thing I want to see happen is one of these organizations close their doors that provide vital, vital services to the families and the victims who so desperately need them,” Wilson said.
The South Carolina Victim Assistance Network has had its federal funding cut about 45% since 2017.
The legal assistance program, which helps people understand their rights and the criminal process, has been unable to replace one attorney who retired and has had to ask others to work fewer hours because the organization can’t afford to pay for more hours, said Sarah Ford, the program’s director.
The organization’s caseload remains the same, with about a dozen new cases coming in each week. But the group doesn’t have the capacity to handle that many cases, Ford said.
“We’re definitely at the point where we’re not able to do all the things that we want to be doing for crime victims in South Carolina,” Ford said.
Further cuts could be coming amid a broad freeze on federal grants under President Donald Trump’s administration.
Earlier this year, the Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women removed all funding opportunities from its website, raising alarm as to whether groups will be able to receive other grants meant to help survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault.
“The current instability around federal funding will significantly and negatively impact their ability to provide services to victims of violent crime,” said Shannon Nix, associate director for the South Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault.
For people like Hunter, the services these organizations offer have been vital, she said.
Hunter’s son was killed after a drug dealer gave an incorrect address, leading four people to fire more than 20 bullets into her house.
Hunter’s advocates, who worked with the Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Department, helped her find and pay for a service to clean her living room, which was also the scene of the crime. They helped her find counseling and told her when court dates were coming up.
“I am so and forever grateful for them,” Hunter said.
Skylar Laird covers the South Carolina Legislature and criminal justice issues. Originally from Missouri, she previously worked for The Post and Courier’s Columbia bureau.
SC Daily Gazette is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
