Verde Valley Sanctuary responds to potential federal grant fund freeze from White House
Part of Sanctuary budget comes from VOCA (federal), state funding
COTTONWOOD, Ariz. — The following is a statement from Verde Valley Sanctuary leadership on the federal grant freeze Executive Order issued Monday, Jan. 27, from the President Donald Trump administration at the White House.
Less than 24 hours after the White House issued a statement on the order being signed, a federal judge temporarily blocked the order on Tuesday. The White House pulled back the order on Wednesday, Jan. 29, after it froze trillions of dollars in federal grants and loans, sparking mass confusion across the country among nonprofits who provide services just like Verde Valley Sanctuary.
Executive Director Jessye Johnson had this to say about the news from the White House this week and how it affects Verde Valley Sanctuary:
Is there any funding VVS receives that will be affected by the President’s announcement?
“While Verde Valley Sanctuary does not have any direct contract with the federal government that will be frozen as a result of the order, we do receive a significant amount of federal pass-through funding from various state agencies. It remains unclear if the funding freeze will affect our reimbursements from those agencies.”
Are services going to be interrupted at VVS by a potential freeze in funding?
“Verde Valley Sanctuary remains committed to providing services to survivors of domestic and sexual violence. It depends on what we mean by short-term. We can and will continue to operate and provide services for survivors for as long as our Board of Directors and financial reserves allow. I don’t think many nonprofits will be able to sustain long-term funding freezes if they rely on those funds to operate core services like we do.”
Are any programs interrupted currently due to the White House announcement?
“So far, the announcement has not disrupted our service delivery other than causing some concern about what may come.”
Does VVS expect programs to be cut because of the announcement?
“Based on the Executive Order, I don’t have any reason to believe that Verde Valley Sanctuary’s programs and services will be cut as a result of the audit that is taking place. However, Verde Valley Sanctuary and dozens of other agencies across the state that receive funding through the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) are already facing a 40% reduction in their contracts, so the thought of getting caught up in this, although it may not be intentional, will compound already devastating cuts we are facing in our funding that helps us provide life-saving services to survivors.”
How would VVS budget, or prepare for a potential cut in funding?
“As I mentioned, Verde Valley Sanctuary can absorb a short-term pause if we are, in fact, affected by this pause.”
About
Verde Valley Sanctuary’s mission is to provide safety, services, and comfort to survivors of domestic and sexual violence. The agency began in 1994 as a grassroots organization with a leased modular home that slept six and has grown into a 32-bed emergency shelter with transitional housing options, a lay legal advocacy center, community-based advocacy support, a 24/7/365 crisis hotline (928-634-2511) and a staff that takes pride in its youth violence prevention education and public outreach and awareness. VVS is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and qualifying charitable organization for the Arizona Tax Credit. Federal Tax ID: #86-071314; QCO Code: #20041. Visit VerdeValleySanctuary.org for more information.