TS - Proposed cuts to victims program delayed

Proposed cuts to victims program delayed
By James Faulk The Times-Standard
Wednesday, May 18, 2005

EUREKA -- District Attorney Paul Gallegos made a rare appearance before the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors Tuesday to explain and clarify a requested move by his office to lay off four positions in an already depleted Victim Witness Program.

The request was made because of a rejected grant application that eliminated funding for a domestic violence portion of the witness program. The decision whether to lay off the four employees was put off until next month to see if some interim funding could be found until the county learns the fate of yet another grant application that could fill in the gap.

The board also voted to send a letter in support of pending state legislation that would help stabilize the funding for such programs.

"In the county of Humboldt, positions have been lost in the Victim Witness Program because of the loss of grant funding," the letter states. "The Victim Witness Program is too important to be reliant on competitive grant funding."

Fifth District Supervisor Jill Geist said the move to eliminate four more positions from the Victim Witness Program comes on the back of cuts made last year.

"We need to hear from you or your representatives as to how we can keep from seeing a systematic erosion of these services," she said. "So what I'm trying to identify is how do we ensure that those services aren't victims themselves of systematic erosion as the result of not having funding?"

Gallegos again proclaimed his office's dedication to the program and outlined steps they have taken to find and preserve the cash for services.

"I have utilized the services of victim witness associations myself so I am in intimately aware of the value they provide to the community and the value they provide to the individual," he said. "There has never been a desire by anyone in our office to eradicate those services."

There was some confusion after last week's meeting over what the cuts would mean to the program. Geist at the time said the cuts would eliminate the program for all "intents and purposes."

Gallegos pointed out that the lost grant was initially intended to help get the domestic violence program off the ground, but was never intended "to be a subsidy for this county."

The responsibility is now on us, he said, to find funding.

"This is a community problem and certainly we will continue to do all that we can to serve the citizens of this community and the victims of this community," he said. "We will continue to look at both county and other resources to provide for these people."

Geist said they all were working toward the same end.

"Quite frankly, we're on the same page here," she said. "We're trying to figure out how to ensure that services are available for those that need them."

She complained about a lack of communication between the District Attorney's Office and others in county government.

"There needs to be closer communication, because we do have resources," she said. "We need to find ways so that communication is a stronger conduit so that we can figure out how we're working together on behalf of the community as a whole."

Gallegos agreed and said he would take suggestions on how to improve communication.

"We will do whatever is necessary -- that we can -- to rectify that situation," he said.

Program Coordinator Joyce Moser said the Victim Witness Program is currently a team of 10 that has been funded by three different grants. The loss of the grant at issue means the program will lose positions that assist with victims of domestic violence.

"We have four advocates going to court giving direct services to survivors of crime," she said. "It will be cut 75 percent."

She has actively been searching for ways to help fund the program.

Virginia Campbell, a domestic violence victim who has used the program, said it has been instrumental in turning her life around.

"They are there for you at every chance," she said. "They help relocate you. They go to court for you. They help you fill out your paper work. They tell you that everything will be OK -- they will hold your hand and their door is always open."

Related:
ER - Interview Process Cuts Down On Trauma Of Children 5/6/04
Losing the Victim Witness Grant
ER - Board of Supervisors talks over grant denial for program 5/11/2005
NCJ - VICTIM PROGRAM THREATENED: 5/12/05
ER - Gallegos says program is safe 5/15/2005
ER - Victim witness program funds sought by county 5/18/2005
TS - Proposed cuts to victims program delayed May 18, 2005
TS - My Word - DA leadership: The 8-step program May 24, 2005
County to fund Victim Witness Program The Eureka Reporter 6/8/2005
Supes mull grant application 5/14/07