Another group that is pleased with the new state budget is personnel in the state’s 47 rape crisis centers as the state funding there increased amidst a growing demand for services and a decrease in federal funding.
At Centre Safe in State College, the rape crisis hotline, staffed by crisis assistance professionals and other counselors, is a 24/7, ‘round the clock’ service.
“For Centre Safe, we receive approximately 1600 calls to our hotline every year.”
Jennifer Pennick, the executive director of Centre Safe, has kept a sign in her office for years, one used for lobbying efforts with state lawmakers.
But in the new state budget, a 12 million dollar increase for rape crisis services was approved, practically doubling the previous amount and bringing the total state appropriation for rape crisis centers to just over 24 million dollars.
“What’s important for people to realize, it’s one of many specific line items in the budget. For Centre Safe, that’s considered a dual center, so we help people who experience sexual assault and domestic violence. But we can only use the rape crisis line item for people dealing with sexual assaults.”
Besides the rape crisis services, Centre Safe assists close to 900 domestic violence survivors, and others, every year.
Also being applauded is that the delay in a new state budget wasn’t nearly as long as last year’s when the lack of new funding led to some rape crisis centers closing, along with layoffs at others.