Baltimore nonprofit claims Maryland, Gov. Moore withheld reimbursements for victim services
HER Resiliency Center, a Baltimore-based nonprofit, is suing the state of Maryland, Gov. Wes Moore and the Governor's Office of Crime Prevention and Policy of Maryland (GOCPP), alleging they withheld reimbursements for money spent on services for victims of crime.
The center advocates and provides resources for women impacted by domestic violence, sex trafficking and other violent crimes.
Attorneys representing the center said the lawsuit will be served this week.
"As the State Administering Agency for Public Safety funds, we are a fiduciary to Maryland taxpayers. We stand by the fairness and transparency of our grantmaking process for our $300M annual grant portfolio," the GOCPP said in a statement Tuesday.
Nonprofit claims reimbursement funds withheld
According to the lawsuit, the state and GOCPP failed to reimburse the Her Resilience Center for funds that it spent under the federal Victims of Crime Act (VOCA). The organization said it used the funds to provide services like trauma counseling, survivor advocacy and support for victims of violence and exploitation.
According to Natasha Guynes, founder of the HER Resilience Center, the GOCPP and the state withheld nearly $218,000 in 2025 and $74,000 in 2024. Guynes said the office would deny invoices, saying the services that HER provided were not what the victim needed.
During a news conference Monday, attorneys representing HER said the lack of payments has made "continued operations impossible." According to leaders, the organization was "forced to cease services temporarily."
"This lawsuit is not just about a contract dispute—it is about the devastating consequences that bureaucratic obstruction and broken promises have on survivors of violent crime," a representative for the HER Resiliency Center said in a statement. "When funding is withheld, services stop, and women who rely on these programs are left with nowhere to turn."
