Victim Services Are Public Safety

Safety is the underpinning of our ability to thrive. To achieve gender equity, women, girls, and gender-expansive people must be free from all forms of violence, and be safe and well at home, school, and in their communities. As part of our 2025 policy agenda, the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota (WFM) is committed to addressing the critical gaps in victim services that disproportionately impact women and children across our state.

At the Capitol, WFM supports SF852/HF1082, the Crime Victims’ Services funding bill, which would fund grants to organizations that provide direct services and advocacy for victims. Increasing access to survivor support services by passing SF 852/HF1082 allows for the maintenance and expansion of crucial public safety infrastructure including domestic violence shelters, rape crisis centers, and child advocacy centers and will help to close the gap left by decreased federal funding.

What the Data Show

Our research with the Center on Women, Gender, & Public Policy at the Humphrey School is clear: Women and girls in Minnesota are harmed by gender-based violence throughout their lifetimes — in their homes, on the streets, and in public institutions like schools, workplaces, and the criminal justice system. Women of color, members of the LGBTQ+ community, those with disabilities, and Indigenous women face even higher rates of violence.

Women Experience Violence in Minnesota

Women in Minnesota face a high likelihood of experiencing sexual violence in their lifetime. The data also shows that only a small fraction of women report physical or sexual violence.

ONE IN TWO Minnesota women report sexual violence from an intimate partner at some point during her life.

ONE IN FOUR Minnesota women report physical violence from an intimate partner at some point in her life.

Native & Black Women Face Violence at Alarming Rates

Nationwide, Native American women are 71% more likely than white women to have experienced violence in the past year, and 19% more likely to have experienced violence at some point in their lives. More than one-third of survivors (38%) were unable to access the essential services they required.

The consequences of violence and other crimes, without comprehensive support to survivors, include poor mental health outcomes, chronic disease and health problems, unwanted pregnancy, substance abuse, homelessness, lost economic productivity, and a lack of personal security. To get closer to the data, read the 2024 Status of Women and Girls+ report to see more research about violence and the ways in which it affects women, girls, and gender-expansive people face in Minnesota.

Funding Cuts Hurt Survivors

The reality is sobering: women and female children make up the majority of those seeking victim services in Minnesota, yet these essential programs face a devastating 42% reduction in federal funding. However, this isn’t just a funding issue — it’s a public safety crisis affecting our most vulnerable community members.

With fewer funds, programs are already experiencing hiring freezes, wage stagnation, and staff losses, and survivors face diminished access to the support they desperately need. Domestic violence shelters, rape crisis centers, and child advocacy centers are essential public safety infrastructures that require sustainable funding to serve those in need.
WFM testified in front of the Senate and House committees on behalf of the Crime Victims’ Services Bill. Our testimony shared: “Crime victim services play a vital role in helping survivors and their families rebuild their lives by ensuring they are heard, protected, and supported and women and girls represent a high percentage of Minnesotans benefiting from them.”

In a letter to the Public Safety Finance and Policy Committee, a member of the statewide Young Women’s Cabinet who is a youth advocate at Cornerstone Advocacy Services, shared that victims of violence often include children and teens. The Status report shows that 49% of unhoused women were abused as a child. Without intervention, the sons of mothers who have been abused are more likely to become abusers themselves.

The federal Office of Violence Against Women has taken down all grant opportunities for intimate partner violence organizations, which includes both new and recurring grants and funding opportunities that are necessary to provide housing, physical, and mental health care, and legal support. “Without this funding or money our programs cannot run and our capability to assist our community will be put at risk,” they share. “Please use not only your voices, but your dollars to show your communities that you support victim survivors and believe in putting a stop to violence in the home.”

Victim services also enhance public safety and encourage victims to report crimes without fear, which aids law enforcement and strengthens community trust in the justice system. Without these services, we are neglecting the women, girls, and gender-expansive people in our state, often leaving them vulnerable to further victimization.

Path to Progress

Earlier this session, WFM joined a powerful coalition of partners invested in passing this bill at the Capitol Rotunda for a day of action, including Minnesota Coalition Against Sexual Assault, Minnesota Indian Women’s Sexual Assault Coalition, Violence Free Minnesota, Mending the Sacred Hoop, Minnesota Alliance on Crime, and Minnesota Children’s Alliance.

The Crime Victim Services bill has bipartisan support in both the House and Senate because legislators realize that this is an issue that affects people across the state and across demographics. The bill was most recently heard in the House Public Safety Finance and Policy Committee and re-referred to the House Judiciary Finance and Policy Committee.

What You Can Do

Contact your legislators and urge them to support SF 852/HF 1082.

• Find your representatives
• Read the bills: SF 852/HF1082
• See the data and learn more about policy solutions that benefit women and families
• Sign up for WFM’s biweekly Policy Update email
• Download the Advocate Toolkit and spread the word about policies that benefit women, girls, and all Minnesotans