Louisiana’s largest provider of aid for sexual assault survivors, Sexual Trauma Awareness and Response (STAR), has been forced to cut back on critical services due to a lack of federal funding caused by the recent government shutdown. The organization suspended its hospital accompaniment program, which provides support to survivors during evidence-gathering medical exams after an assault. STAR serves survivors across 15 parishes, but the program has been halted indefinitely in St. Tammany Parish and the New Orleans area, where other nonprofits offer similar services.
In Baton Rouge and Alexandria, where STAR is the only organization providing hospital accompaniment, it plans to resume services in November by redirecting funds from its case management program. This shift, however, will limit survivors’ access to vital post-assault assistance such as healthcare navigation and crime victim funding. STAR’s CEO, Morgan Lamandre, emphasized that maintaining hospital accompaniment is necessary to keep the nonprofit’s accreditation and secure future funding.
The shutdown has left many Louisiana organizations that support sexual assault survivors in financial limbo, as federal crime victim offices remain closed. STAR, for instance, cannot access a $700,000 federal grant that was already awarded, and uncertainty surrounds another $1.2 million grant the organization typically receives annually. Without access to these funds, STAR and similar organizations face serious operational challenges.
The ongoing shutdown stems from a political impasse in Congress over federal healthcare subsidies, leaving over a million federal employees unpaid and numerous federally funded services disrupted. In response, Louisiana lawmakers have announced temporary measures, including $150 million per month to help residents with groceries amid halted food assistance programs.
Lamandre and Louisiana Foundation Against Sexual Assault executive director Rafael de Castro are now calling for $2 million in permanent state funding for sexual assault survivor centers to be added to the state budget next year. Currently, Louisiana provides little to no direct funding for such centers. While domestic violence shelters and child advocacy centers received millions in state support this year, sexual assault survivor centers like STAR were excluded.
Although Louisiana allocates funds from unclaimed gambling winnings to pay for forensic exams, this money does not cover counseling, legal, or other survivor services. A recent law introduced by Rep. Kellee Dickerson aims to generate new funding through $2,000 fines on those convicted of sexual assault, human trafficking, and domestic violence. However, experts warn that the measure is unlikely to yield consistent or meaningful revenue, as many offenders lack the means to pay fines. Lamandre expressed skepticism about the law’s potential, noting that any funds collected might be dispersed slowly across multiple fiscal years.
