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In 2016, artist Jenn Merz and her husband moved from New Jersey to Colorado. Four years later, Jenn, a survivor of sexual assault and violence, had the opportunity to collaborate with The Blue Bench, Denver’s only sexual assault prevention and survivor support center.
“The services from the Blue Bench helped make Colorado a safe place for me and to slowly help it become home,” Merz said. “I was really struggling when we moved [here]. I was in a very dark place and ‘they saved my life. It feels a little dramatic, but that’s how it feels.”
The collaboration began when a worker from Blue Bench dropped into her first solo art gallery where she displayed her collection “Undisguised.” After her trauma, Merz turned to her art to find comfort and to heal. The collection was inspired by the darkness of her subconscious mind, Merz said, where she pulled monsters out for the world to see. Using herself as a model for her art collection, Merz expressed her emotions that came from nudity and self-scrutiny as she faced hurdles with confidence and pride.
“Through this work and these art shows, it’s really helped me recognize that I’ve used art as an outlet for a long time and I’ve been saying things through my art about my life or trauma. My art tends to be very personal,” Merz said.
Blue Bench was founded in 1983 by three friends of a sexual assault victim from the Denver metro area. The founders realized there were no resources for their friend in the aftermath of her attack. The group initially went canvassing door-to-door, raising funds for a crisis hotline. Today, the organization serves victims 13 or older in nine different counties across the metro area, providing therapy, workshops, and case management. But Blue Bench’s services, which have helped thousands in its 41-year history, are under threat.
On Nov. 2, 2023, organizations including Blue Bench, Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault, or CCASA, and the Colorado Organization for Victim Assistance spoke with legislators to highlight the funding crisis of the Victims of Crime Act, or VOCA. Led by Colorado House Majority Leader Monica Duran, legislators learned more about services provided by various organizations that receive VOCA funding to aid victims of sexual assault and domestic violence.
Passed by Congress in 1984, VOCA established the Crime Victim Fund, of CVF, which is used to compensate victims. It provides federal funding for state and local programs that aid victims of crime. In Colorado, these funds are then doled out by the Office for Victims Programs. Executive Director of CCASA, Brie Franklin, said the CVF is funded through fines and fees imposed on criminals, but these are drying up.
“It’s a pot of money that’s created whenever the federal government has a case against someone who’s committed a crime,” Franklin said. “A couple of things happened the last couple of years—obviously COVID, a lot of courts were closed during COVID—so not a lot of court cases were going through.”
The CVF saw a steady decrease from $57 million in 2018 to $25 million in 2022 due to fines dropping dramatically. This was done to minimize the financial burden on criminals and increase their chances of rehabilitation. Franklin explained that this combination of court closures and reduced fine collection has resulted in a crisis for funding the CVF and VOCA since funding does not come from taxpayers.
“We’re looking at a 40 to maybe 60% cut in VOCA funds,” Franklin predicted. “This money is the largest pot of money, it tends to make up the majority of programs.”
Franklin said that any cut starting at 25% can be catastrophic. Many organizations increased the number of programs offered as requests from victims for services soared during and after the pandemic.
“These are critical services for victims. No one asked to be a victim of a crime. It’s something that happens to you. When it happens, you want to be able to go somewhere to get help and support,” Franklin said. “If these services aren’t available then people have nowhere to turn to get help.”
Blue Bench’s Executive Director, Megan Carvajal, reflected on the importance of keeping organizations like Blue Bench active, despite the funding crisis, and how community members and survivors can help.
“Every couple of years there is a threat that this funding would potentially be cut. Now this is the first time where it feels like it’s actually going to happen, we are all preparing for this,” Carvajal said. “I think there is this call for all of us, as a community, as government entities, as leaders, as survivors, to say ‘Hey, we need a more sustainable solution.’ If VOCA is going to be cut, how is the government going to support survivors?”
On Jan. 11, Gov. Jared Polis heeded that message and addressed the funding crisis of VOCA. He said the state is actively involved in helping victims get back on their feet and is providing funding for them to seek support.
“I have also called on our Congressional delegation to increase federal funding for victims through a fix to the VOCA,” Polis said.
Funding is still expected to take a hit despite Gov. Polis’ support, but Carjaval explains that they will not know how significant the cuts will be until later in the year.
With the ongoing threat of a funding crisis for VOCA, Merz remembers how meaningful it was to be able to receive services from Blue Bench and the impact it has on herself and others who have experienced sexual assault and violence. Her partnership with Blue Bench resulted in an art show in Denver every April in recognition of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, allowing survivors to express themselves in a safe space.
“Speaking to that coworker, the guy that worked at The Blue Bench, it was really huge. It just gave me that validation,” Merz said. That’s a big part of what these organizations do. They validate what happened to us because most of the time nobody else was listening. There’s red tape and there’s nothing that can be done about it because too much time passed or it was a different state. It just provides that validation that I think survivors are looking for.”