THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRiDAy, JunE 10, 2022 Page 7 Portal To Hope Seeks Public’s Help: Support VOCA Bridge Act P ortal To Hope (PTH), the award-winning nonprofi t organization serving domestic violence crime victims in Everett, Lynn, Medford, Malden, Winthrop and neighboring Massachusetts communities, is facing a 27% budget cut eff ective July 1st .Already operating as a small-funded nonprofi t, PTH relies on $179,900 in federal funding from the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) to serve an average of 900 people each year. Drastic cuts to VOCA will leave PTH to operate on $131,490 in fiscal year 2023 – a severe reduction.Considering that PTH spends less than 5% on administrative costs where its management team already volunteers time to carry-out administrative functions in order to dedicate funds for direct care service programs, the 27% budget cut will strap the organization and eliminate its Emergency Shelter program.“In talking with the public, they are as perplexed as we are as to why government keeps cutting funding to agencies serving some of our most vulnerable community members – especially when they realize all the helpful services that we provide,” said Linda Morris, a survivor who has been sharing her time as a Victim Advocate at PTH for seventeen years.“As a survivor whose own life was impacted by a family member killed by her abuser, I struggle to understand why PTH and similar agencies are forced to beg for funding every year,” said Morris. VOCA funding is administered by the Massachusetts Office for Victim Assistance (MOVA); and MOVA announced that 124 programs and 220 victim services jobs across the Commonwealth are impacted by the drastic cuts to VOCA funds.“A state investment is critically needed to sustain and stabilize victim services across the Commonwealth to continue supporting victims and survivors,” announced MOVA. PTH’s Founder, Deborah Fallon, a survivor of violent crime, is appreciative of the work that MOVA and the Victim and Witness Assistance Board (VWAB), which is chaired by Attorney General Maura Healey, are doing in partnership with the Massachusetts Legislature to bridge the funding gap via the “VOCA Bridge Act”. “MOVA and VWAB have been outstanding partners in our work serving people impacted by violent crime,” said Fallon.“Every person has the right to live free from abuse, and while PTH and like programs are already inundated and focused-in on providing direct care services to people, we look to MOVA, VWAB and our legislators as our advocates in helping us to remain fully funded.” MOVA announced that the Massachusetts Legislature named a Conference Committee to “reconcile diff erences between the House and Senate fi nal budgets”. Conference Committee members are: Representatives Michlewitz, Ferrante, and Smola and Senators Rodrigues, Friedman, and O’Connor.MOVA continues to advocate for a fully-funded VOCA Bridge to sustain services for victims and survivors and is “requesting that the Conference Committee maintain the $20M investment included in the House budget to bridge one-year of impending cuts” to VOCA funded programs for fi scal year 2023. To help support these eff orts, please call PTH (781) 338-7678 or email portaltohope@aol. com.“Over the course of our own lives, many of us, unfortunately, will know of someone whose life has been impacted by domestic violence crime. We are reaching-out to people to call their legislators to ask that they support the fully-funded intentions of the FUN-damental Basketball Camp Open to Boys and Girls in Local Area T he FUN-damental Basketball Camp, open to boys and girls in local area cities and towns, will be held July 25 to July 29, 2022 at the Immaculate Conception Parish Center, located at 51 Summer Street in Everett. The camp will be held between the hours of 9:00 am and 1:00 pm for boys and girls entering grades 3 thru 8 as of September, 2022.The cost of the camp is $100. Tony Ferullo, boys’ varsity basketball coach at Mystic Valley Regional Charter School in Malden, will be the Director of the camp. The purpose of the camp is: To provide all campers with the fundamental tools to help them become better basketball players; To create a positive atmosphere where the camper will learn and have fun at the same time; and To instill the spirit of the game into all campers, and inspire them to continue playing the game either competitively or just for fun. Each camper, who will receive a T-shirt and certifi cate, will participate in various drills, scrimmages and individual contests.Special guests will speak and share their personal basketball tips.An awards ceremony will take place on the last day of the camp, and parents and friends are welcome to attend. For more information about the FUN-damental Basketball Camp, please contact Camp Director Tony FerulFor Advertising with Results, call The Advocate Newspapers at 617-387-2200 or Info@advocatenews.net lo: 857-312-7002 or tferullo@suff olk.edu. J& • Reliable Mowing Service • Spring & Fall Cleanups • Mulch & Edging • Sod or Seed Lawns • Shrub Planting & Trimming • Water & Sewer Repairs Joe Pierotti, Jr. S LANDSCAPE & MASONRY CO. Masonry - Asphalt • Brick or Block Steps • Brick or Block Walls • Concrete or Brick Paver Patios & Walkways • Brick Re-Pointing • Asphalt Paving www.JandSlandscape-masonry.com • Senior Discount • Free Estimates • Licensed & Insured 617-389-1490 Designing and Constructing Ideas that are “Grounds for Success” Landscaping VOCA Bridge Act passed by the Massachusetts House,” said Fallon.“We appreciate the public’s support.” For more information about MOVA, please visit www. mass.gov/mova.For more information about PTH, please visit www.portaltohope.org. Portal To Hope (“PTH”) is a nationally recognized, award-winning nonprofi t organization that provides comprehensive services to victims of domestic violence.PTH serves Everett, Lynn, Malden, Medford, Winthrop and neighboring Massachusetts communities.For information, visit our website at www.portaltohope.org.
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