In the piece, Knapp points to a sobering trend: while South Carolina's population has grown 12 percent over the past decade, the number of children served by CACs has increased by nearly 75 percent, reaching almost 14,200 last year. At the same time, the centers' primary funding source — the federal Crime Victims Fund — has shrunk by nearly 50 percent since 2018 due to fewer and smaller federal prosecution settlements. | The consequences are already visible on the ground: forensic interview wait times now exceed two weeks, mental health services are delayed, and short-staffed centers — particularly in the Pee Dee, Upstate and Midlands regions — are struggling to keep up, while larger Lowcountry centers have little extra capacity to absorb overflow. | Knapp credits state lawmakers for a recent one-time funding allocation but notes it covers only about 7 percent of centers' total expenses. He urges South Carolina's U.S. senators to pass the bipartisan Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act — already approved unanimously by the U.S. House in January — which would strengthen the fund using money from federal fraud cases, at no new cost to taxpayers. Concerned residents can help by calling or writing to their U.S. senators to urge their swift support for this critical legislation. | Knapp's message is clear: as South Carolina grows, so does the need for child abuse response services, and Congress has a real, immediate opportunity to help our centers keep pace. Click the button below to read the full commentary in The Post and Courier. | |
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