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Rape crisis centers in Pennsylvania will see state funding double under the budget signed last month.
These agencies provide services to victims of sexual assault. Pittsburgh Action Against Rape was one of the first in the state and one of the first in the country. It has been a refuge and a helping hand for victims for more than 50 years.
It is one of 47 rape crisis centers in Pennsylvania. In 2025, the state budgeted $12 million for them. That can sound like a lot of money until you cut it into
47 pieces and expect it to stretch like a too-small blanket to cover women, men and children affected by sexual assault in a state of 13 million people.
Sure, not everyone in the state has been a victim of sexual assault, so it's not like that's less than a dollar per victim. But the stats are horrifyingly close. One in five women. One in 31 men. Do the math, and that's about 1.3 million women and more than 200,000 men -- about 10% of the state's population.
So bumping up the funding to $24 million was a good start.
The services needed are broad and not the same for everyone. One survivor might struggle with recovery and need counseling. Someone else might be in active crisis. Another could be in the emergency room. Human trafficking victims, children and families could need more depending on their circumstances.
Yes, that can take money. Yes, the increased funding is necessary and welcome.
But that is not the only kind of support.
Not to dismiss the dollars and cents of what the state provided, but support isn't always cash. Finances are just one way of offering support, and sometimes not even the most important. That's evident by the many needs that arise inside a rape crisis center.
Support might be legal, medical or psychological. It could be someone to cry with, someone to lean on, even someone to scream at.
But for state, local and other leaders, it all falls under one kaleidoscopic umbrella. Support is prioritization.
The money indicates rape crisis centers were given a prime place in the conversation surrounding this year's budget. That's important. But there are other ways to demonstrate that importance.
The best way to support rape crisis centers is by supporting rape victims and survivors. That means supporting investigation and prosecution of sex crimes. It means creating atmospheres where harassment and assault aren't encouraged. Allegations aren't dismissed -- or blindly accepted. They are treated as seriously as any other crime.
Rape crisis centers exist to serve those who have been hurt by a deeply personal assault. Money is part of supporting them.
But the best support is doing everything possible to make the crime so unthinkable and rare that 47 centers aren't necessary, and $24 million can be used for something else.
Is that possible? Probably not. But we should prioritize support like it is.