Laurens police, Safe Home among 29 Upstate agencies sharing $7.4 million for crime victims

Two Laurens County agencies that serve victims of crime will share $141,199 in state and federal grant funding, part of $7,457,394 awarded to 29 agencies across the Upstate and more than $29 million statewide through the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office.

Attorney General Alan Wilson announced the Upstate awards Thursday, Sept. 24, at the Spartanburg County Public Library. The grants are being announced by region. Wilson announced more than $12.4 million for agencies in the Midlands and Pee Dee on Wednesday, Sept. 23, and is scheduled to announce Lowcountry recipients Wednesday, Sept. 30. The 43 Upstate grants go to police departments, sheriff’s offices, solicitor’s offices, nonprofits and a health system in Anderson, Cherokee, Greenville, Greenwood, Laurens, Pickens, Spartanburg and York counties.

Laurens County Safe Home, which provides services to victims of domestic violence, will receive $100,290 through the federal Victims of Crime Act program. The Laurens Police Department will receive $40,909 through the State Victim Assistance Program, which is funded with state dollars.
Laurens County victims will also benefit from a $248,549 award to the 8th Circuit Solicitor’s Office in Greenwood, which prosecutes cases in Abbeville, Greenwood, Laurens and Newberry counties. That funding supports victim services as cases move through the court system.

Wilson said the agencies and nonprofit groups receiving the money do a great deal for people facing traumatic circumstances, and the grants allow the state to support their work as they help victims of violent crime recover.

Barbara Jean “BJ” Nelson, director of the Crime Victim Services Division in the attorney general’s office, said her staff values working alongside the professionals who help crime victims every day and that the division’s goal is to build the most effective and compassionate victim service system in the country.

How the funding works

The grants are distributed by the Department of Crime Victim Assistance Grants within the attorney general’s office and were approved earlier this year by the S.C. Public Safety Coordinating Council. Funded projects begin Oct. 1, 2026.

The money comes from four programs: the federal Victims of Crime Act (VOCA), which accounts for 69% of the total; the federal Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), at 9%; the state Supplemental Allocation for Victim Services (SAVS), at 19%; and the State Victim Assistance Program (SVAP), at 3%. In all, about 78% of the money is federal.
Both federal programs are administered by the U.S. Department of Justice. VAWA funds are appropriated by Congress. VOCA dollars come from the federal Crime Victims Fund, which is supported by fines and penalties paid by federal offenders rather than tax revenue. Agencies must compete for the grants and reapply each spring.

Full list of Upstate awards
Anderson County, nine grants, $1,112,000: First Light, $622,524 (two VOCA, one VAWA); Anderson County Sheriff’s Office, $141,566 (SAVS); 10th Circuit Solicitor’s Office, $127,000 (VOCA, VAWA); New Foundations Home for Children, $125,969 (VOCA); City of Anderson Police Department, $94,941 (VOCA, VAWA).

Cherokee County, one grant, $49,219: Cherokee Children’s Home, $49,219 (VOCA).

Greenville County, eight grants, $1,660,184: Safe Harbor, $869,512 (VOCA, VAWA); Julie Valentine Center, $651,848 (two VOCA, one VAWA); Compass of Carolina, $108,224 (VOCA, VAWA); 13th Circuit Solicitor’s Office, $30,600 (VOCA).

Greenwood County, seven grants, $788,905: Beyond Abuse, $464,910 (two VOCA, one VAWA); 8th Circuit Solicitor’s Office, $248,549 (VOCA, VAWA); Meg’s House, $75,446 (VOCA, SVAP).

Laurens County, two grants, $141,199: Laurens County Safe Home, $100,290 (VOCA); Laurens Police Department, $40,909 (SVAP).

Pickens County, two grants, $540,703: The Parenting Place Upstate, $302,384 (SAVS); Pickens County Advocacy Center, $238,319 (VOCA).

Spartanburg County, eight grants, $2,042,276: Project R.E.S.T., $955,791 (two VOCA); Hope Center for Children, $492,860 (VOCA); Children’s Advocacy Center of Spartanburg, Cherokee and Union, $344,204 (VOCA); Spartanburg Regional Health Services District, $96,192 (SVAP); 7th Circuit Solicitor’s Office, $72,049 (VAWA); Spartanburg Police Department, $57,138 (SAVS); Lyman Police Department, $24,042 (SAVS).

York County, six grants, $1,122,908: Safe Passage, $721,833 (VOCA); Children’s Attention Home, $251,202 (VOCA, SVAP); 16th Circuit Solicitor’s Office, $78,106 (VOCA); York County Sheriff’s Office, $36,796 (SAVS); City of Rock Hill Police Department, $34,971 (VAWA).

Why the grants matter

The awards come as victim service providers nationwide have weathered reductions in federal support. The National Network to End Domestic Violence has reported that VOCA funding dropped by roughly $600 million between fiscal years 2023 and 2024, an average cut of about 40% to state victim assistance grants.

The grants support services for victims of violent crime, domestic violence, child sexual assault and human trafficking. According to the South Carolina Victim Assistance Network, some of the most frequent emergency requests from victims include lodging, groceries, home repairs and crime scene cleanup.

Anyone in immediate danger should call 911. Victims of domestic violence can reach the National Domestic Violence Hotline 24 hours a day at 800-799-7233.

Photo credit: SC Attorney General’s office