Is working with sex offenders out of bounds for Rape Crisis Centers?

October 6, 2010 |
Valor

The state of California enters its fourth month without an approved state budget.  Some California rape crisis centers cash flow has become a cash drip.  This budget impasse has forced many centers to develop contingency plans that vary from decreasing agency hours, having multiple waves of staff layoffs to the worst case scenario of closing their doors due to the lack of cash to provide services to survivors.  Knowing what your agency’s current budget situation is, if given an option (that is legal of course) to remedy those budget problems; would you act on that option?
I preface the latter statement with I got permission from the Executive Director to write this article with the promise that I would not disclose her name, the agency’s name or agency location.
In December 2008 I was contacted by the Executive Director of a rape crisis center in another state to assist with a funding proposal to submit to her Board of Directors.  I first met this Executive Director in 2002 and we have remained in contact since then.
This agency has a consistent history of limited or no fund development whatsoever.  The Executive Director was concerned that if this pattern continued, she would be faced with making some difficult decisions within 9 months.  She and I filtered through some ideas and came up with several viable options.  The Executive Director did additional research and took one of those options to her Board of Directors.
The Board of Directors read through the request for proposal and application, had a three hour meeting and a final vote of 8-2 in favor of applying for funding through their Department of Corrections for treatment of sex offender parolees.   The grant had an extensive list of protocols and procedures that applicants would have to clearly demonstrate their ability to meet and adhere to if awarded the grant.
The agency was notified in September 2010 that they were awarded the multi-year treatment grant for sex offender parolees in the amount of $400,000.00.  The Executive Director indicated that this grant could absorb approximately 80% of the agency’s entire administrative cost; leaving additional money from other grants to hire additional personnel, increase staff salaries that were drastically too low and allow more services to be provided to survivors and the community.
Some board members who previously voted to apply for the grant are now concerned about public perception, staff and volunteer support or lack of support, shift in agency’s mission and philosophy, and the simple fact that they would now have an off-site project that deals with convicted sex offenders.
I ask these questions of you – Is this a golden opportunity?  Does accepting this money take away from their victim centered mission statement?  Please provide your insight and opinions in the comment box below.