Orange County Rape Crisis Center Faces Uncertain Future Amid Budget Cuts
The Orange County Rape Crisis Center is facing dramatic funding cuts, leaving the nonprofit uncertain of the future of its programs and services.
Founded in 1979, the Orange County Rape Crisis Center, or OCRCC, serves approximately 600 survivors of rape and sexual trauma each year through free counseling, crisis support, hospital and court accompaniment and support groups.
Now, the fate of those services is unclear as the OCRCC faces a 25 percent loss in funding for the 2021 fiscal year due to budget cuts with the Victims of Crime Act.
The Victims of Crime Act, or VOCA, was passed by U.S. Congress in 1984 to establish the Crime Victim’s Fund. These funds, which are generated by fines paid by federal criminals, support services to six million victims annually through more than 6,000 direct service organizations – such as domestic violence shelters, child abuse treatment programs and rape crisis centers.