Local agencies given access to huge fund to help victims of crime
Local agencies that help victims of crime will now be able to tap into a $60 million fund to expand their services to those who need it most.
This week, North Carolina received the hefty sum from the U.S. Dept. of Justice's Office of Victims of Crime. The federal government distributes money to the states every year from the Crime Victims Fund, established in 1984 under the Victims of Crime Act.
The Dept. of Public Safety's Governor's Crime Commission received the money and is responsible for approving grants and disseminating it to counties and local agencies.
Karen Jayson, Community Development Specialist with the GCC heads up the Crime Victim Services Committee. She is one of the people who will pour over grant applications and decide where the money will go.
"Whether it's someone who has suffered sexual assault, domestic violence, or even a child that's been abused in any way, the goal is to make them whole again so that they can keep going and just live a normal healthy life," she said about the services she hopes to expand.
Last year, the state only received $14 million from the Crime Victims Fund. Jayson said this year, the DOJ lifted its cap on how much it distributes to states, leading to the much larger award of $60 million- none of which comes from taxpayer dollars. Rather, it comes directly from offenders who pay fines in court.
"Reparation, in a sense, that the money is paid because someone committed a crime against an individual," said Jayson.
In 2014, the GCC was able to fund about 85 domestic violence and sexual assault centers and 39 child advocacy centers across the state.
"Some of those agencies are serving 10 to 12 counties each, some of them even more," said Jayson. "That's a huge geographic area to serve with just one location."
Now, Jayson hopes to expand services in rural areas of the state where victims are underserved.
Another priority will be creating at least five more Family Justice Centers like the ones already established in Alamance, Buncombe, and Guilford Counties where victims can get protective orders, talk with law enforcements, counselors, and other service providers without ever leaving the building.
"When someone's been victimized, there's a psychological and emotional and in many cases, financial impact," explained Jayson. "And what you have to do is work to make that person whole again."
To learn more about North Carolina's victim assistance program, visit the website here.
You can find more information about the U.S. Dept. of Justice's Office of Victims of Crime here.
