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With the uncertainty of its future state and federal funding making permanent closure a genuine possibility for Hope Alliance of Lewis County, the nonprofit has decided to cancel its annual fundraisers this year.
“Lewis County businesses and community members are very, very generous, so to go and ask them for money when I don’t even know that we’ll be a viable agency July 1 doesn’t feel right to me,” Hope Alliance Executive Director Kris Camenzind told The Chronicle.
Hope Alliance is the county’s only 24/7, free and confidential crisis program for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. The nonprofit also provides legal aid for protection orders and divorces, along with services such as housing, medical advocacy, support during forensic interviews, support groups and prevention education.
Camenzind initially warned the community about Hope Alliance’s funding shortfall in a letter to the editor published in The Chronicle’s Thursday, March 14, edition.
“We remain hopeful that we will receive the necessary funding and, if we do, we fully intend to resume our fundraising efforts next year,” Camenzind stated in the letter. “In the meantime, we encourage you to stay engaged, help spread awareness, advocate for survivor support services and stand with us in ensuring that no one in our community faces violence or trauma alone.”
For Camenzind, the alarm bell sounded last year when Hope Alliance became one of five domestic violence services organizations in Washington state to have its Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) funding cut, she said.
VOCA funding refers to federal funding through the National Crime Victims Fund, which is administered by the Office of Victims of Crime (OVC) within the U.S. Department of Justice.
The fund supports individuals affected by crime and is composed primarily of federal criminal fines, penalties and forfeited bail bonds, according to the OVC.
The OVC administers two VOCA programs in Washington state, one through the state Department of Commerce and one through the state Department of Labor and Industries.
The two programs are housed under the umbrella of the Victims of Crime Act State Plan, which receives most of its funding from VOCA, according to reporting by The Washington State Standard.
Federal VOCA funding has been steadily declining over the last decade, dropping from $74.7 million in 2018 to about $17.8 million in June 2024, according to The Washington State Standard.
The Washington state Legislature allocated $40 million to the program in the 2023-25 budget to stabilize it, but those supplemental funds are set to expire in June 2025. Funding for the State Plan is projected to be cut in half as of July 1, state Senate Democrats announced in January.
Senate Bill 5362 and its companion House Bill 1487 in the current legislative session would have allocated $50 million for the Office of Crime Victims Advocacy in the 2025-27 biennium, but the bills both died in committee.
With the state currently facing an operating budget shortfall as substantial as $17 billion over the next four years, it’s questionable whether the Legislature will continue supplementing the Victims of Crime Act State Plan.
“We’re at a very critical point with waiting to see what comes out of the state budget-wise. Depending on how that comes down, we could very possibly close,” Camenzind said.
Hope Alliance’s primary sources of funding outside of the legislative budget are two state contracts: one with the Department of Social and Health Services and one with the Department of Commerce’s Office of Crime Victims Advocacy, Camenzind said. A $20,000 domestic violence legal advocate grant, a handful of smaller grants and community donations make up the rest of Hope Alliance’s budget.
Camenzind said that as of March 20, Hope Alliance anticipated receiving roughly $400,000 between the state budget and its two state contracts.
“To provide the 24-hour (domestic violence services), operating a shelter, an office, medical response, legal, support groups, for a little under $400,000 — that’s a horrible business plan,” Camenzind said.
While she is issuing a warning that the Hope Alliance’s future may be in jeopardy, she said she hopes this will be a wake up call to the community “that in the event that we do receive our funding, that we, as a community, don’t take it for granted and (assume) this is always going to be here. We always have to fight.”
Camenzind said that Lewis County’s state legislators, especially Rep. Peter Abbarno, R-Centralia, have been excellent advocates for Hope Alliance in the past.
She encouraged community members to contact their state representatives before the state budget is finalized to support a $50 million ask that, if approved, would be split between all domestic violence programs in the state.
Hope Alliance is still accepting monetary donations, with the caveat that, if the nonprofit closes at the end of the fiscal year, all of its remaining funding will be donated to another program that provides similar services.
For now, though, Hope Alliance is still open and its staff are committed to continuing to provide services for as long as they can.
“Nobody’s wavered, because everybody’s really committed to this work,” Camenzind said.
State law does require a 24-hour domestic violence services organization to exist in every county, meaning that, if Hope Alliance closes, another organization would legally be required to step in.
“Other programs are facing the same dilemma … all of the other programs are in similar spots,” Camenzind said.
To learn more about Hope Alliance, head to the nonprofit’s website at https://hopealliancelc.org/. The crisis line for victims of physical or sexual abuse, domestic violence or sexual assault is open 24/7 at 360-748-6601. The website also has links to donate and for people seeking a “quick escape.”
