09/04/2026
On July 9, 2026, we received the news that the Chemung County Child Advocacy Center (CAC) was one of six CACs in New York State to lose all VOCA funding. Over the past five years, VOCA funding has declined by 61%, creating significant challenges for programs that support children and families impacted by abuse. This federal funding accounts for over 40% of our annual budget. Last week, Governor Kathy Hochul allocated additional funds for victim assistance programs, including $4.8 million specifically for Child Advocacy Centers. Unfortunately, our funding status has not changed, and the Chemung County CAC is one of the three NYS CACs that remains defunded. Due to this budget cut, we had to close the doors to the Schuyler County Child Advocacy Center, which we built and have overseen since 2019. In addition, we must eliminate our Community Education and Awareness Coordinator position, currently held by Teri York-Brown. This position has been held by Teri since its inception in 2021. These are both devastating losses to Chemung and Schuyler Counties and the families that we serve. At this time, the CAC and our partners will continue to focus on fundraising efforts and securing donations to sustain these critical services.
Thank you, Senator Tom O’Mara and Assemblyman Phil Palmesano, for standing with and advocating for CACs in the Southern Tier. Thank you, NYSCA Executive Director Theresa Roth, for raising awareness and championing this urgent need for CACs across New York State. And thank you to the members of our Multidisciplinary Team for your support at the press conference at the Corning Library.
It has been an honor to serve the families of Schuyler County for the last seven years. Our main goal is to continue to serve children and families impacted by abuse and support their process of healing in Schuyler, which will be done by offering services through our Chemung location. NYSCA said it best, “After decades of building a better response for children, we must make sure it’s there when they need it.”
