Funding cuts impact services for domestic violence survivors, ECLI-VIBES says
ECLI-Vibes says it remains $400,000 short in annual funding despite partial restoration of state support.
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Organizations that help survivors of domestic violence, human trafficking and abuse are speaking out about major state and federal funding cuts, saying the losses are affecting their ability to provide critical services.
For Bevin Llanes of Holbrook, the issue is deeply personal.
"Today is five years since my daughter, Meghan Kiefer, lost her life to domestic violence. She was 27 years old,” says Llanes.
Llanes says there has not been a day she has not thought about her daughter Meghan, who was fatally stabbed by her boyfriend in 2021.
“The day she died, she really stood her ground. He had to leave,” says Llanes. "It's horrific."
Now a volunteer at ECLI-VIBES in Islandia, Llanes says she wishes she had known about the organization when her daughter needed help.
“Had we known about this agency before my daughter's death, maybe she wouldn't have died,” she says.
ECLI-VIBES is one of dozens of organizations across the state that are losing state and federal funding.
The organization says it lost about $600,000 in funding. Officials said some of that money is distributed by the Office of Victim Services.
Jennifer Hernandez, co-founder and executive director of ECLI-VIBES, says the organization has received some relief but continues to face significant financial challenges.
“The governor did the right thing - backfilled about $11.5 million to try to make us whole again. But we're still 30% in a deficit at the moment. So it's been really tough,” says Hernandez. “We're still missing $400,000 per year in funding that we usually get year to year."
According to ECLI-VIBES, the funding is critical for staffing, answering calls and helping people access support services.
“We've had to reduce our staff. We've had to reduce our hours. This is the worst part of it all...people are literally going to voicemail at this time. We cannot pick up every single call that's coming in,” says Hernandez.
ECLI-VIBES says it helped 2,243 survivors receive counseling and support last year and answered 5,661 Hopeline calls.
The organization also said outreach was prompted by 6,000 Suffolk police domestic violence reports last year.
“Us working with these individuals means that there's less violence in homes, that children are not exposed to dangerous situations,” says Hernandez.
Llanes said she fears the consequences of continued funding reductions.
“To cut the funding is actually going to cost people their lives,” says Llanes. said. “The discomfort from burying somebody that you love who died because of domestic violence is far greater. And that can be avoided if they bring the funding back.”
A spokesperson for the Office of Victim Services sent News 12 a statement:
"OVS is committed to supporting victims and survivors and ensuring that services are available to those who need them. Our office is working with the Office of State Comptroller to finalize the procurement as quickly as possible and will continue working closely with providers to minimize any delay once the review process is complete," the spokesperson said. "OVS also is partnering with a consultant to conduct a comparative analysis and research best practices for the administration of VOCA funding, and plan to convene state agency partners to identify a comprehensive, whole of government approach to ensuring the availability of these critical services. This work will inform OVS's next request for applications in early 2028.
OVS says they received an "unprecedented" response to its 2026 request for applications to fund victim assistance programs statewide: 316 applicants sought $626.1 million over two years, which exceeded the funding available by $373.1 million.
"Never in its history has OVS received that many applicants seeking that level of funding. On Aug. 28, 2026, Governor Hochul announced an additional $36 million for victim assistance programs, increasing annual funding available for two years from $126.5 million to $162.5 million. Domestic violence service providers received an additional $11.7 million," the spokespersons said.
