Cortland County Child Advocacy Center & YWCA of Cortland Awarded Funding Towards Victim Assistance Programs

Both the Cortland County Child Advocacy Center and the YWCA of Cortland have been awarded funding towards victim assistance programs, Governor Hochul announced on Monday. Overall, the governor announced nearly $379.5 million dollars in both state and federal funding over the next 3 years to 230 nonprofit organizations. The Cortland County Child Advocacy Center was awarded $199,221 and the YWCA of Cortland awarded $97,358.

“We are deeply appreciative of the hard work and leadership of the NYS Children’s Alliance in advocating for all Child Advocacy Centers across NYS that have been financially struggling. We are grateful that Governor Hochul and the Senate recognized the need to increase funding to support the hard work and dedication of all Child Advocacy Centers to address child abuse across NYS. This increase will allow us to stabilize our funding and maintain the current service levels needed to continue the high-quality, specialized services that our team provides to child abuse victims and their non-offending family members.”

Cortland County Child Advocacy Center Director, Kris Beard said in a statement to X101 News.

Executive Director for the New York State Children’s Alliance, Theresa Roth, told X101 News after 14 years of no increase in funding, this announcement of funding shows a historic increase in funding for Child Advocacy Centers. Roth continued on to note the 2026 Executive Budget shows an increase in funding to $14.4 million dollars.

“We are relieved and grateful to report a modest increase in our 2025 Office of Victim Services (OVS) award compared to the 2024 award that supports our Aid to Victims of Violence program, especially as many other YWCAs and domestic violence programs across the state experienced significant funding cuts.”

YWCA of Cortland Executive Director Kelly Tobin told X101 News.

Tobin says the YWCA applied for funding towards the addition of a new position that’ll be focused on strengthening community connections and advocacy and reducing barriers and stigma related to accessing services. She added that the YWCA did not receive their full funding request, and will need to adjust their budget accordingly.

The Office of Victims Services, Tobin says, remains one of the primary funding sources for the YWCA’s Aid to Victims of Violence program. This funding is vital to the continued delivery of comprehensive victim services to the Cortland community.