Bienvenidos, and thank you for visiting the Office of Crime Victims Advocacy
Recently, as there has been an unprecedented increase in funding for services, a shifting conversation on equity and power, and a centering of the voices of survivors and those impacted by violence, the Office of Crime Victim Advocacy (OCVA) would like to update you on opportunities and resources, convey our understanding of the work we do and welcome your perspective as we continue toward an end to violence and oppression.
OCVA has the unique opportunity to work with an innovative collection of service providers and would like to take the opportunity to highlight what we see. What are those best practices and how can we share that story? Where is best practice insufficient and how do communities address the needs of those who are not being served?
Having partnerships across programs within OCVA and the Washington State Department of Commerce, as well as with federal, state, and local agencies, stakeholders and coalitions, how can we better work together to support victim services in the Washington state in a way that is responsive to you? How can we strengthen service provision outside the scope of funding and what does accountability look like for ourselves and those we work with?
We want to explore what it means to be a good partner to those we work with and figure out what that looks like in the context of funding and service provision. What does genuine allyship look like for government-based funders? How can we improve our function to better support the work of communities, agencies and individuals? Whether it be geographical, cultural, language based; are we responsive to the needs of your community?
These are questions we seek to answer. Responses we need to hear.
If something you read gives you pause, if you would like to continue a conversation or start one you feel is not being had, this is an attempt to make that connection and bridge those gaps which may exist. How can we work together to address the root causes of violence and oppression and how can we do that from a point of privilege?
We ask and we learn. Centering survivors is a cornerstone of advocacy and we wish to share our experiences and perspectives in the hope that you will help us understand our relevance to those you serve. We are grateful every day for the work being done across the Washington state, and thank you for your dedication and commitment.
If you have feedback you would like to share or content you would like to see, please reach out to your program coordinators or contact us at ocva@commerce.wa.gov.