New Jersey attorney general visits Lawrenceville victims’ services group, warns of cuts to federal crime victim funds

New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin visited Younity, a Mercer County victims’ services organization, on Tuesday to highlight what he called the devastating potential impact of federal threats to cut funding for crime victims.

Younity, formerly Womanspace, Inc., supports survivors of domestic and sexual violence in the Mercer County region. The group relies heavily on the federal Victims of Crime Act (VOCA), which has provided nearly $1 million in funding for its programs. VOCA dollars are now at the center of a legal fight between a coalition of states and the Trump administration.

Last week, Platkin joined 20 other attorneys general in suing the U.S. Department of Justice. The lawsuit seeks to block conditions that would require states to assist federal immigration enforcement agents in order to receive VOCA money — conditions Platkin said were never intended when Congress created the program in 1984.

“Supporting victims of crimes should never be partisan, but the Trump administration has made it clear that they intend to play politics with funding for organizations such as Younity,” Platkin said. “Cutting VOCA funds would have a devastating impact on some of our most vulnerable residents.”

Patricia Teffenhart, director of the state Division of Violence Intervention and Victim Assistance, said organizations like Younity are on the front lines of crisis care.

“Access to the free and confidential services offered by organizations like Younity are a literal lifeline for individuals who have experienced unthinkable trauma,” Teffenhart said. “Now, survivors who need our help are being revictimized by reckless policy decisions being made in Washington.”

VOCA funding supports crisis intervention, counseling, housing, and advocacy services for victims of crime. Nathalie Nelson, Younity’s president and CEO, said those services are “often the difference between safety and continued harm.”

“Restricting access to language support, LGBTQIA+ services, or housing-first programs is not efficiency — it’s a judgment on who deserves help,” Nelson said. “When we defund or limit these services, what we are really saying is that some victims simply don’t matter. And that is unconscionable.”

Jane Reynolds, a forensic nurse examiner with the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office, also attended the event. Forensic nurses, supported in part by VOCA funds, provide emergency medical care and collect evidence after sexual assaults and other violent crimes. Reynolds said the role is critical in both health care and prosecutions, but now faces funding uncertainty.

Congress created VOCA during the Reagan administration to provide states with grants for victim services and compensation programs. States use the money to assist nearly 9 million crime victims each year.

Platkin said New Jersey will continue fighting to protect that stream of funding.

“We are going to keep fighting until these funds are no longer under threat,” he said. “Victims of crime should not have to wonder whether the support they need will be there when they need it most.”