Friends, WE NEED YOUR HELP.
Last week, TWC, along with all of the shelters across the state AND our own state legislators, were informed that decreases in federal VOCA funding (the main federal source of funding for DV shelters) was going to result in a two-year decrease in funding for Alaska programs by 34%.
This is an impossible situation for TWC and for the other shelters across the state. TWC provides essential services- life and death services- for survivors all across the YK Delta, and we simply will not be able to continue to do that with a loss of a third of our budget.
There is some hope, however. We are asking anyone who has ever benefited from TWC’s services, or been a community partner, or even just appreciates the ways that TWC improves lives in the Delta, to let your voice be heard this Friday, April 9 when the Alaska House Finance Committee will be holding a hearing on the state operating budget.
Again, we want to stress, these decreases did not come from our state representatives- they were as blindsided as we were by the magnitude of the cuts- but they DO have the option to allocate funds from the state general fund to cover the two-year shortfall that will result from these decreases. We need as many people as possible to remind them of the importance of the services that TWC provides and ask them to consider covering this two-year deficit with funds from the state general fund.
You can share your concerns and requests in one of two ways:
1. Send an email with your request to these two Finance Committee co-chairs, Representative.Neal.Foster@
2. Call in to the House Finance Committee hearing to share public testimony on Friday, April 9 at 1:30 pm. The call in number is 1-844-586-9085 and testimony is restricted to two minutes.
Need a reminder of the impacts that TWC programs have on our region? Check out TWC’s FY20 Annual Report here.
Would you like a sample script or to check out some talking points? Access a sample script here.
I will be honest with you- we are scared, but we are also hopeful. We know better than most how this community is able to come together and take care of each other when times get tough, and we are asking for that support from you know. Quyana for everything that you do for each other and for our community.
