DENVER — In Colorado, many providers of victims services are in a tough spot. The federal funding they've been getting, called Victims of Crime Act (VOCA), is dwindling down.
Funds come from criminal fines, penalties, forfeited bail bonds and special assessments collected by the federal government and not from taxpayers, according to Equal Justice USA.
"We got our VOCA notification, and when we look at year over year, we're losing about 45% of our funding from [fiscal year] 2024 to 2025," said Megan Carvajal, executive director of the Blue Bench.
Carvajal said that cuts deep.
"It's extremely tough," she said. "Like most organizations that receive VOCA funding, we're going to make some hard decisions and maybe reduce services in order to just continue offering something to the community."
Blue Bench isn't alone.
Brie Franklin, executive director of Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault (CCASA), said VOCA funds are drying up will hit victims in Colorado hard.
"Every community-based nonprofit program in Colorado pretty much receives VOCA funds. So it's going to impact every community in Colorado," Franklin said. "Without additional funding, we're going to have programs absolutely have to lay off staff. And in small, rural communities where they may only have two or three staff, it could mean they would close their doors."
They've been working to find a new funding solution.
Voters will decide in November on a ballot measure Prop KK. Coloradans will be asked to approve a 6.5% excise tax on firearms and ammunition that manufacturers and retailers would pay, not gun owners. The tax revenue would be used to fund crime victim support services, school safety programs and mental health services for veterans and youth.
If it passes, Prop KK could bring in as much as $39 million a year. This is how the funds would be divided:
- $30 million would go into the Colorado Crime Victim Compensation Fund.
- $5 million would go toward mental health services for veterans.
- $3 million would go toward mental health services for children and youth.
- $1 million would go toward school safety.
Opponents of Prop KK say the tax would be an assault on a constitutional right. The gun rights group Rocky Mountain Gun Owners says it's a sin tax on firearms and ammo, writing, "Prop KK will force gun owners from all different walks of life to fund their own demise unless it is stopped."
Franklin said that money would have a huge impact in the state.
"We desperately need funding for victims services so we can keep doors open and those resources are there for victims," she said.
Even if it passes, providers and survivors are in for a tough year.
"If Prop KK passes, and we believe that it will, it will not take effect until 2026," Carvajal said. "So the next year is going to be especially hard for the Blue Bench and other organizations like ours. A lot of survivors are going to go without services."
Carvajal said they'll reduce services where they can and refer survivors to other providers who can take them in wherever possible. Until organizations can secure steady funding, survivors will be the ones hurt the most, she said.
"If Proposition KK passes, we can collectively change the way that survivors are supported," Carvajal said. "We can expand support. We are just going to need the community to really show up for us for the next year."