Massachusetts Office for Victim Assistance

May this Mental Health Awareness month remind you that….

🧠It’s brave to ask for help and seek resources. Go to www.mass.gov/askMOVA. There you’ll find free, trauma-informed and survivor centered program across the Commonwealth that support mental health and wellbeing for survivors.

🧠Mental health is just as important as physical health. The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI Massachusetts, NAMI Central Mass) hotline: 1-800-950-6264, or text “HELPLINE” to 62640. Open Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m.- 10:00p.m. Please note: this hotline is for peer support.

🧠You’re never alone. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Disaster Distress Helpline (DDHL) is 1-800-985-5990 and is open 24/7.

🧠Healing is not linear. In the midst of current events and ongoing conversations around funding for victim services, it’s even more important to take the time to be kind to your mind, now and beyond the month of May.

Stay tuned for more resources, advocacy tips- coming soon!

Massachusetts is about to cut victim services by 35%, and lawmakers are deciding this week.

Since 2019, MACA has worked to place a specialized child trafficking and exploitation coordinator at each of our 12 Children’s Advocacy Centers across the state. Last year alone, that program served 1,257 children. It was written into Massachusetts’ own five-year plan to address s*x trafficking as a program worth sustaining.

Now it faces a 30% cut.

This is happening as the Massachusetts State Police reported more than 23,000 CyberTipline reports about child exploitation in 2025. That is a 77% increase in a single year.

As our Executive Director, Tom King, put it: “If we lost this funding, we would be crippled in our ability not only to respond, but we’d have no hope in keeping up with this online wave of exploitation and this assault to children.”

Senator Moore’s Amendment #240 would restore $13.8M through the TRUST Line and keep this work alive. Beacon Hill needs to hear from you today.

👉 Read the full story, then contact your senator: https://buff.ly/TUxhPvB

Call or email and ask them to co-sponsor Amendment #240. Massachusetts Office for Victim Assistance's toolkit has everything you need to take action: https://buff.ly/p8Y0n4P

The professionals doing this work cannot advocate and serve children at the same time. That is a role all of us can play.

Senate budget debate begins TODAY but there’s still time to help us !

The TRUST Line amendment #240 is up for debate in the Senate this week and survivor, program, and ally voices are our most powerful tool. Here’s how you can help:
👉Call/email your senators and ask to support amendment #240 for MOVA’s TRUST Line. Prompts are available in the TRUST Advocacy Toolkit at the link in our bio.
👉Share this post and tag your legislators! Use the hashtags
👉A special thank you to Senator Mike Moore for filing our amendment and to all the Senators who continue to across Massachusetts.
👉 Engage with media. Press releases, op-eds, letters to the editor, and contacting local media outlets about impacts of grant cuts is a great way to spread the word on the urgent need for a state investment.
👉TRUST Toolkit to support these efforts can be found at the link in our bio!

Thank you to MassLive for highlighting this pivotal moment for victims and survivors of crime, and organizations who support them, as Senators decide whether to support TRUST Line amendment #240 to provide $13M of lifesaving funding.

MOVA disburses both federal and state funding to more than 100 organizations across the state. In FY25, more than 70,000 victims of crime were provided with over 400,000 free services from MOVA-funded programs. Of that, state dollars funded 201,513 services to survivors. Organizations are preparing to see, on average, a 35% reduction in funding without a state investment. Lifesaving services for victims and survivors, as well as program jobs, are at risk.

“Frankly, we’re already hearing from programs, ‘We have to come up with a plan to start laying off staff,’” Lowney said, noting victims’ services in Massachusetts will look “decidedly different” next year without the money.” – Liam Lowney, Executive Director at MOVA, MassLive article.

Read the full article here: https://www.masslive.com/news/2026/05/victims-services-in-mass-face-crippling-cuts-as-lawmakers-weigh-13m-lifeline.html

Our window for advocacy is not over! The TRUST Line amendment #240 is up for debate this week and survivor, program, and ally voices are our most powerful tool. Here’s how you can help:
👉Call/email your senators and ask to support amendment #240 for MOVA’s TRUST Line. Prompts are available in the TRUST Advocacy Toolkit at the link in our bio.
👉Share this post and tag your legislators! Use the hashtags
👉 Engage with media. Press releases, op-eds, letters to the editor, and contacting local media outlets about impacts of grant cuts is a great way to spread the word on the urgent need for a state investment.
👉TRUST Toolkit to support these efforts can be found at the link in our bio!

Accessibility Note: Pictured above is a pediatric s*xual assault evidence kit in Massachusetts.

Applications are now open for the 2026 MOVA Training Academy (MTA)!

⏰July 20-24th, 2026, at Endicott College
‼️Application deadline: Friday, June 5, 2026, at 5:00 p.m.

👉There are two tracks and space is limited. Please note: qualifying applicants for the introductory track are direct service providers with 1-3 years of experience, and for the leadership track direct service providers with 3+ years of experience.

The Massachusetts Office for Victim Assistance (MOVA) Training Academy (MTA) was developed to meet the emerging needs of direct service providers in the victim services field in Massachusetts. This academy will unite criminal legal and community advocates across the Commonwealth and provide knowledge that supports trauma informed, culturally responsive, and equitable services that reflect the diverse communities they serve. As a result, the voices and experiences of victims and survivors will be further heard, valued, and amplified across systems.

Learn more about the MTA and access the application link by tapping the link in bio.

Our Director of Policy and Legislative Affairs, Maeve Kidney, appeared on WCVB CityLine to discuss how federal funding cuts are putting lifesaving victim services at risk, and how state legislators can help.

The TRUST Line amendment #240 has been filed in the Senate to secure $13.8M in funding, but we still need your support 👇

Here's how you can help:
👉Call/email your legislators and ask to support amendment #240 for MOVA’s TRUST Line. Prompts are available in the TRUST Advocacy Toolkit at the link in our bio.

Social Media Storm:
👉share MOVA’s posts regarding this state investment, or create your own! Be sure to tag your legislators and use the hashtags
👉TAG a legislator you TRUST to build the TRUST Line and support amendment #240. A huge shoutout to Senator Mike Moore for leading on this important initiative in the Senate👏
👉TRUST Toolkit linked in our bio!

Watch the full video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVIyJUl5K8Q

WCVB Channel 5 Boston 2 likes. "CityLine: Massachusetts Office for Victim Assistance"

On Tuesday April 28, 2026, MOVA celebrated advocates and survivors during our annual Victim Rights Awards.🏆

We extend our thanks to our Victim and Witness Assistance Board, including Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell, Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni, District Attorney Michael Morrissey, and our survivor members, Audrey Morrissey and Danielle Sicard, and public member Lavinia Weizel.

April 30th concluded the 2026 Victim Rights Month. Thank you to Governor Maura Healey and Lt. Governor Kim Driscoll, for the official Victim Rights Month Proclamation.

MOVA would like to thank our webinar panelists, award recipients, and everyone who tuned in or showed up to our Victim Rights Month events. We’re truly grateful for all of your fierce dedication and tireless efforts to support victim and survivor services across Massachusetts.

Victim Rights Month is coming to a close, but the need to invest in survivor services has never been greater. In a recent letter to The Boston Globe, MOVA’s Executive Director Liam Lowney highlights the urgent challenges facing victim services, as funding cuts threaten the continued operation of lifesaving programs who provide critical support for victims of crime.

“State legislators have an opportunity to fix this. We urge lawmakers to include the line item Targeting Resources for Underserved Survivors of Trauma, or TRUST Line. This $13.8 million investment would mitigate grant cuts and ensure that programs would be able to continue providing services without interruption.” – Liam Lowney, Executive Director at MOVA

These services are essential to safety, healing, and justice. Without a sustained investment, survivors across Massachusetts risk losing access to the care and resources they need.

To learn more about how you can help, read the full article below: https://www.bostonglobe.com/2026/04/28/opinion/letters-solutions-to-domestic-violence/

Domestic violence calls for lifesaving solutions - The Boston Globe Massachusetts stakeholders raise awareness and concern following cases of deadly domestic violence in Louisiana and Virginia.

April 29th is Denim Day 💙👖

Content Warning: Mentions of Sexual Violence

Denim Day has been the world’s longest-running international s*xual violence prevention and education campaign since 1999. Today MOVA staff join countless other organizations locally and around the world to wear denim in solidarity with all victims and survivors of s*xual violence!

“Denim Day asks community members, elected officials, businesses and students to make a social statement by wearing jeans on this day as a visible means of protest against the misconceptions that surround s*xual violence.” Learn more by going to denimday.org!

If you or someone you know needs support, please visit www.mass.gov/askMOVA by tapping the link in our bio to find a local resource near you.

Today we are recognizing Beth Israel Lahey Health for the Corporate Leadership Award🏆

This award recognizes a business, organization or individual from a discipline outside of the victim assistance field for their dedication to supporting crime victims and advancing the victim services community. These allied professionals are committed to innovative approaches to ending violence and supporting those impacted by it.

Join us on April 28th, 2026 at 1PM for the 2026 Victim Rights Awards Ceremony located at the Massachusetts State House Grand Staircase. The Victim Rights Awards Ceremony is an opportunity to recognize organizations and individuals for their notable contributions to the victim services community.

Beth Israel Lahey Health