Family Services gets $106,400 for sex-assault victims

Poughkeepsie Journal

Touring the Family Partnership Center on Thursday, Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul said she was in awe of the dedicated workers there that help victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. 

Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul announces funding for sexual assault programs at the Family Partnership Center on Thursday.

"I was so touched by what I saw at the center ... just stopping by and seeing the faces of the people who are the ones that take care of 3,000 individuals a year, and 4,500 calls," Hochul said. "I said to them, you could be the difference between life and death, and hope and despair." 

Hochul announced that Family Services is one of 55 state-approved anti-sexual assault crisis and prevention programs operated by hospitals, non-profit organizations and governmental agencies statewide that will receive $6.5 million in grants to help continue the assistance they give to victims. 

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In the Hudson Valley, more than $600,000 has been allocated, Hochul said. Family Services will be given $106,400 for its sexual assault victim-related programs.

Brian Doyle, chief executive officer of Family Services, noted the importance of such funding, citing the current "torrent of headlines that shines the light" on men in politics and entertainment who have been accused of sexual assault. 

"How many more times do we need to hear this, from how many men that have insinuated themselves into prominent and high-profile positions in the world of entertainment, politics and elsewhere," he said. 

Hochul said the state funding will help the organizations and institutions "continue the work of helping victims of rape, of sexual assaults, and to help them at every level of assistance necessary — whether it's continued advocacy in the courts, whether it's person counseling, whether it's a place to live and get some food, or just to feel whole again and start to heal. 

"That's what this is about," she said. "Supporting organizations, like Family Services, that do just that." 

Abbott Brant: abrant@poughkeepsiejournal.com; 845-437-4809; Twitter: @AbbottBrantPoJo

Hudson Valley grant recipients 

Putnam/Northern Westchester Women's Resource Center: $68,500

Center for Safety & Change: $89,200

Westchester Hispanic Coalition: $70,600

Mental Health Association in Orange County: $110,300

Family Services: $106,400

Ulster County Probation: $72,506

Westchester Community Opportunity Program: $127,500