JEFFERSON — Cindy VanAllen-Moore, director of the Victims of Crime Assistance Program, is bracing for a very lean year ahead.

State funding for the program’s next fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1, has been cut by 12 percent, VanAllen recently told commissioners. That means she will have just under $60,000 to pay the salaries and benefits of herself and one employee, plus purchase supplies and incidentals used by the office.

VanAllen said she has been on a 32-hour work week for the past three years. Her assistant, Dawn Cochran, also is on reduced hours. Even the volunteers have had to cut back as their personal finances took a hit during the Great Recession. VanAllen said the office once had 10 volunteers who could be called upon to assist, but that number is down to two.

“Everybody has had to go out and get a job,” VanAllen said.

Concurrently, the office is very busy. Last year the office handled 684 cases, and this year has been just as busy.

“Assault, domestic violence,” VanAllen said. “It’s huge.”

Increasingly, older adults are the victims. VanAllen feels that the trend for grandparents to raise their grandchildren is major factor. The grandchildren become addicted to drugs or alcohol, and use their grandparents’ resources to fund the habits.

“It all ties back to drugs or alcohol,” she said.

The program is not mandated, but Ohio law does guarantee certain rights for victims of crime. “We provide the services, but they also could be provided through other offices,” VanAllen said. “We are here to uphold victims’ rights as described in Ohio Revised Code section 2930.”

Ashtabula County Prosecuting Attorney Thomas Sartini and county commissioners support the office, both through finances and assistance. Commissioners provide the 25-percent match that leverages the state funding. The county also provides the office space, next to the sheriff’s office, and utilities.

VanAllen said the officials’ commitment to Victims of Crime Assistance is a matter of doing the right thing. That same attitude is what has kept VanAllen on the job for the past 20 years. She started as a volunteer and found that the work resonated with her. VanAllen took additional training and eventually got hired as a part-time employee.

“It’s where I really wanted to be,” she said. “I felt the need was here for it in the county.”

That commitment keeps VanAllen looking for creative, and often sacrificial, ways to stretch dollars. She said the supplies line item will be virtually zero next year. Mileage reimbursements will also take a hit — employees and volunteers use their personal vehicles to transport victims to hearings and other appointments.

“So we (pay for) the transportation ourselves. We take it out of our pockets, because it’s the right thing to do.” VanAllen said.

The office’s training budget will be obliterated by the budget cut. Thus, while VanAllen holds National Registered Advocate credentials, she will have to use personal funds to pay for the 32 hours of continuing education required to retain certification.

“Dawn paid for her own training,” VanAllen said. Cochran also purchases her own supplies and requested health care insurance for only herself to save the program money.

“She goes beyond and above what she has to do. I think the dedication level is tremendous,” VanAllen said.

The office could use more volunteers, but applicants must pay for their own background check and training. The first step in training is a five-day program in London, Ohio, where students are in class nine hours per day.

Volunteers are often called upon to work during the day, when there is an important court event, which makes it even more difficult to find someone with that kind of room and commitment in their schedule.

With funding for just 32 hours per week, the paid staff also feels constrained. If there is an important trial or emergency, VanAllen and Cochran will ignore the hours and show up on their “day off” to make sure the victim gets the help he or she needs.

As to why VanAllen and Cochran remain dedicated to a job that keeps asking that they give more and expect less financially, VanAllen said it goes back to the moral mandate and finding a good fit with a career.

“It’s not a job,” she said. “It’s what we do for them. I don’t ever want to have a victim feel we do this because it’s just a job.”

To learn more about the program or training as a volunteer advocate position, call 576-3523.

Click here to subscribe to The Star Beacon print edition.



Click here to subscribe to The Star Beacon replica edition.