(From Todd Epp, Northern Plains News)
Domestic violence shelters and legal aid providers across South Dakota remain under heavy strain in 2025, as both federal and state funding continue to decline. The impact has been particularly severe in rural areas, where private donations are now helping fill growing service gaps.
According to state and federal budget records, South Dakota received $4.5 million in federal Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) grants for fiscal year 2024—down sharply from $15 million in 2018. To help offset the shortfall, state lawmakers approved $2.27 million in one-time general fund support, Department of Social Services Secretary Matt Althoff told the Legislature’s Joint Appropriations Committee earlier this year.
“We cannot replace the volume of federal dollars being lost,” Althoff said during spring budget hearings.
The situation worsened in mid-2025. A May 28 report from the South Dakota Bureau of Finance and Management showed that since January, federal funding to state agencies had dropped by $23.4 million overall. That includes $1.7 million in reductions to Health and Social Services programs, which encompass VOCA-related services.
Shelter providers say the crisis has already forced staff layoffs and service reductions. Krista Heeren-Graber, executive director of the South Dakota Network Against Family Violence and Sexual Assault, said shelters have cut outreach, limited emergency bed space, and reduced staff.
“That absolutely limits these organizations’ ability to provide any services past the basic emergency services — which just isn’t enough,” Heeren-Graber said at a January briefing, as reported by South Dakota Searchlight.
In Sturgis, the Crisis Intervention and Shelter Services organization received a $20,000 grant from the John T. Vucurevich Foundation earlier this year, but staff say relying on private donations is not sustainable.
Legal aid providers are also in crisis. Taneeza Islam, executive director of South Dakota Voices for Peace, said that the VOCA abruptly eliminated legal services for unaccompanied immigrant children. “We are seeing children forced to appear in court without legal representation. They don’t understand what’s happening — and now we have no funding to guide them through the process,” Islam said during an April 7 panel at Dakota Wesleyan University.
In Sioux Falls, the Compass Center issued a January 28 news release warning that a temporary federal grant freeze could disrupt prevention and counseling programs. “This is a potential five-alarm fire for nonprofits,” said Executive Director Michelle Trent.
A bipartisan bill introduced by Rep. Debbie Dingell of Michigan and Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska aims to stabilize VOCA funding and give states more flexibility. The legislation follows a similar 2021 VOCA fix, which was sponsored by Sens. Dick Durbin of Illinois and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. Although South Dakota Sens. John Thune and Mike Rounds voted in favor of the 2021 bill, they were not listed as sponsors.
As of June 13, none of South Dakota’s three congressional delegates — Thune, Rounds, or Rep. Dusty Johnson — have issued public statements on the new proposal.
A Rapid City shelter worker, speaking anonymously due to job safety concerns, summarized the situation simply: “We’re holding the line, but barely.”
