Applications were requested from victim service providers for addressing unmet victim service needs. Funding where current services are unavailable or inadequate was the priority.
Federal VOCA victim assistance funds support, extend and enhance services to victims of crime. This includes services that:
- Respond to the emotional, psychological, or physical needs of crime victims
- Assist victims to stabilize their lives after victimization
- Assist victims to understand and participate in the civil and criminal justice systems, or
- Restore a measure of security and safety for the victim
This application is responsive to a portion of the “Specific Crimes and Specific Services” of the VOCA State Plan. The intent is to complement the existing network of services available throughout the state, focusing resources where there are gaps.
Eligible proposals that address the following will be given additional priority:
- Culturally and community specific services
- Housing assistance
- Mobile advocacy for domestic violence survivors
- Comprehensive (longer term) advocacy for sexual assault survivors
- Services for victims of hate crimes
- Services to boys and men of color
- Services to communities of color
- Services for child physical abuse/neglect
- Services for individuals over 65
The successful bidders with the names of bidders listed in alphabetical order and not in the order in which they were ranked by score are as follows:
- API Chaya
- Brigid Collins House
- CIELO Project/Radio Ranch
- City of Seattle, Aging & Disability Services Division, Area Agency on Aging
- Dawson Place Child Advocacy Center
- Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Services (of Whatcom County)
- Emergency Support Shelter
- Grant County dba New Hope
- Kalispel Indian Community of the Kalispel Reservation
- King County Sexual Assault Resource Center
- Lavender Rights Project
- LifeWire
- Northwest Immigrant Rights Project
- Pizza Klatch
- Rainbow Center
- Refugee Women’s Alliance
- Safeplace
- Tacoma Community House
- YWCA of Clark County
- YWCA of Spokane
- YWCA of Pierce County
- YWCA of Seattle-King-Snohomish
We received 77 applications and were able to fund 22. Final grant amounts range from $13,313 to $400,000 for the two-year award period.
Services for Victims and Survivors: A Funding Initiative to Address Unmet Victim Service Needs #3 grants had a start date of July 1, 2019 and are for 24-months. OCVA and DSHS will be issuing an additional funding opportunity for this purpose area in the spring of 2020.
We are excited to learn more from victim service providers and grantees about the needs in their communities, and to continue to look at how this funding can help to address those needs.