Report Reveals What’s at Stake for Crime Victims
February 19, 2026
OLYMPIA, WA – A new report from the Washington State Women’s Commission highlights the essential role victim services play as lifesaving public safety infrastructure amid a deepening funding crisis. Findings reflect the lived experiences of a small sample size of survivors, advocates, service providers, and those who otherwise support crime victims.
Washington’s federal funding through the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) declined by 76% between 2018 and 2024, and service providers now face a funding cliff at the end of the fiscal year (OVCA, 2025). Before session ends on March 12th, lawmakers will decide whether to allocate $20 million for statewide crime victim services, as proposed in the House budget, or $21.3 million, as proposed in the Senate budget.
Commissioner Riddhi Mukhopadhyay warns of the cost of inaction: “We know what happens when protection orders go unfiled, when shelters are full, when crisis lines go unanswered. The impact will be swift, destabilizing, and profound.”
In anticipation of the short legislative session, WSWC’s Safety Committee conducted a statewide survey between November 2025 and January 2026. The goal of the report is to present a broader and more human picture of what is at stake should service capacity be further reduced.
Survey responses consistently show that crime victims rely on services well beyond the moment of crisis. Advocacy (79%), civil legal assistance (65%), housing or shelter (50%), mental health services (45%), and crisis lines (36%) were cited as critical to survival and recovery.
“This is not an abstract funding debate,” Mukhopadhyay says. “It is a question of who survives.”
Read the full report: REPORT – State Funding for Crime Victims in Washington State