As the State of New Jersey finalizes its FY2026 budget, the Senator Wynona M. Lipman Child Advocacy Center (Wynona's House) is calling on lawmakers to restore the $575,000 in critical state funding that has sustained the nonprofit’s operations for 25 years.
The proposed elimination of the appropriation in the FY26 budget that starts July 1 puts at risk core services that protect over 950 child abuse victims and 1,200 family members each year across Essex County.
“This funding is not just a budget line—it’s a lifeline,” Robert Crocker, executive director and CEO of Wynona’s House said Wednesday. “Without it, we jeopardize the safety, justice, and healing of hundreds of children each year. We urge our state lawmakers to stand with us and protect New Jersey’s most vulnerable population.”
Named after the late Senator Wynona M. Lipman, Wynona’s House serves as the legislatively mandated Child Advocacy Center (CAC) for Essex County and stands as New Jersey’s only fully co-located location, bringing law enforcement, prosecutors, medical professionals, child protection workers, and mental health experts under one roof.
Wynona’s House has also launched a “Stand Up for New Jersey Children” campaign to make it easy for the public to get involved. Go online to standupfornjchildren.org to email legislators directly, learn more about the impact of Wynona’s House, and join the movement to #StandUpForNJChildren.
“This platform gives every New Jersey resident the power to help protect children,” said Nadine White, family advocate of the Family Financial Strengthening Initiative for Wynona’s House. “In just one to two minutes, you can raise your voice and urge lawmakers to restore the critical funding that ensures child victims are not forgotten.”
Funding for Wynona’s House helps deliver trauma-informed, child-friendly care and coordination of a multi-disciplinary team supported by 20 hospital and 35 prosecutor’s office staff members. In addition, state funding supports seven child protection workers, 18 Wynona’s House employees, including family advocates, coordinators, prevention services, and security.
To sign the petition, visit StandUpForNJChildren.org. For more information about Wynona’s House and how to help, visit wynonashouse.org.
About Wynona’s House Child Advocacy Center
Wynona’s House is an incorporated 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization named in honor of its legislative champion, the late Senator Wynona Lipman, who helped develop the center to promote hope, healing, and justice for the child victims of abuse and neglect in Essex County by coordinating investigation, prosecution, treatment, prevention, and supportive services utilizing the “child-centered” multidisciplinary team approach. Located in Newark, Wynona’s House is the first fully co-located Child Advocacy Center in New Jersey, serving the residents of Essex County and providing direct services to child victims and their families in more than 950 cases of child abuse and neglect each year.
