The Child Advocacy Center of the Finger Lakes and five other centers received no funding in New York's 2026 Victim of Crime Act Victim Assistance Grant awards after years of receiving support through the program, according to state Sen. Pam Helming's office.
Child advocacy centers statewide lost more than $6.9 million, a 31% reduction from previous funding levels, Helming's office said. Helming, center leaders and law enforcement officials plan to call for the funding to be restored during a Wednesday press conference in Canandaigua.
Child advocacy centers coordinate law enforcement, child protective services, prosecutors, medical professionals, mental health providers and victim advocates in a child-friendly setting. Their services include forensic interviews, counseling and family advocacy for children who disclose abuse.
Helming is scheduled to appear with Ashley Davoli, executive director of the Child Advocacy Center of the Finger Lakes; Theresa Roth, executive director of the New York State Children's Alliance; Ontario County District Attorney Jason MacBride; Ontario County Sheriff David Cirencione; and Nate Lawrence, the center's board chair and a Canandaigua police lieutenant.
The press conference is scheduled for 11 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 19, in the second-floor Sessions Room at 74 Ontario St. in Canandaigua. Participants are expected to discuss how the funding loss could affect abused children, their families and professionals who investigate child abuse cases.
FingerLakes1.com is the region’s leading all-digital news publication. The company was founded in 1998 and has been keeping residents informed for more than two decades. Have a lead? Send it to news@fingerlakes1.com.