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VICTIMS OF CRIME ACT VICTIM ASSISTANCE GRANT PROGRAM 2002 VERMONT STATE WIDE ASSISTANCE REPORT Prepared By: Vermont Center for Crime Victim Services 103 South Main Street Waterbury, VT 05671-2001 tel: (802)241-1250
STATE FUNDING INFORMATION
A. THE ANNUAL AMOUNT ALLOCATED TO THE VICTIM ASSISTANCE PROJECTS: 1. Appropriations $ 728,724 2. Criminal Fines and Penalities $ 846,050 3. Assessments $ 0 4. Other $ 0 TOTAL:$ 1,574,774
B. TOTAL NUMBER OF AGENCIES FUNDED FROM THE FEDERAL GRANT: 29
C. NUMBER OF SUBGRANTS FUNDED FROM THIS FEDERAL GRANT: 35
VICTIM STATISTICS
A. THE NUMBER OF VICTIMS SERVED BY TYPE OF VICTIMIZATION:
NO. OF NO. OF VICTIMS SERVED VICTIMS SERVED 471 1. Child Physical Abuse 143 7. Adults Molested as Children 432 2. Child Sexual Abuse 54 8. Survivors of Homicide Victims 389 3. DUI/DWI Crashes 217 9. Robbery 7,949 4. Domestic Violence 758 10. Assualt 916 5. Adult Sexual Assault 2,936 11. Other 109 6. Elder Abuse TOTAL: 14,374
B. THE NUMBER OF VICTIMS WHO RECEIVED THE FOLLOWING SERVICES:
NO. OF VICTIMS SERVED 2,475 1. Crisis Counseling 10,731 2. Followup 62 3. Therapy 951 4. Group Treatment/Support 544 5. Shelter/Safehouse 2,524 6. Information/Referral (in-person) 8,072 7. Criminal Justice Support/Advocacy 255 8. Emergency Financial Assistance 2,641 9. Emergency Legal Advocacy 196 10. Assistance in filing Compensation Claims 7,193 11. Personal Advocacy 3,369 12. Telephone contact Informational/Referral 2,269 13. Other TOTAL: 41,282
A. EFFORTS TO PROMOTE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE AID TO CRIME VICTIMS: The Victim Justice Project is jointly sponsored by the VT Center for Crime Victim Services (using VOCA funds), the VT Department of Corrections and the City of Burlington, VT. Now in its second year, the Project has been successful in creating a neighborhood-based, collaborative, victim-centered approach to “low-level” or “quality of life” crimes. Eight victim liaisons provide assistance, services and referrals to victims; they invite victims to participate in the restorative justice panel process at the Burlington Community Justice Center. These victim liaisons receive training and attend monthly meetings to discuss current cases, best practices, and so on. They connect victims with community support services such as the First Response Team, the Conflict Resolution Center, VISTA volunteers with the Department of Public Safety, the Burlington Police and Public Works Departments, and Restorative Justice Panels. The First Response Team is an initiative that has developed from earlier efforts of the Victim Justice Project; its goal is to help neighborhoods respond to victims of property crimes by addressing property damage directly. The team of community volunteers cleans up graffiti, repairs damaged windows and fences, replants gardens, is contracting with a local non-profit garage for repairs of smashed car windows, and, most recently, has addressed the task of crime scene cleanup in the city of Burlington.
B. EFFORTS TAKEN TO SERVE FEDERAL CRIME VICTIMS: Center staff and the Victim Advocate at Vermont’s U.S. Attorney’s Office communicate regularly. The Advocate works with Compensation staff to arrange benefits for federal crime victims, and also works with training staff of the Vermont Victim Assistance Academy to provide technical assistance to state prosecutors, law enforcement and victim advocates to keep them current on issues such as federal firearms laws, trauma related to terrorist acts, death notifications, full faith and credit policies, etc.
C. ACTIVITIES TO IMPROVE THE DELIVERY OF VICTIM SERVICES: This year saw the completion of the first training cycle of the Vermont Victim Assistance Academy. With curriculum adapted from the national model, six two-day sessions provided basic certification to over 50 people from state departments of mental health, corrections, social welfare, social services, public safety, and state’s attorneys, as well as representatives of non-profit victim service agencies providing services to persons with disabilities, victims of domestic and sexual violence, and elder abuse. VOCA training funds were used to support these trainings.
D. WAYS VOCA FUNDS HAVE BEEN USED TO ASSIST CRIME VICTIMS: Shelter/Safe House, Therapy, Group Support- A mother and her daughter were brought to the shelter from a nearby hospital. The mother had received a severe beating from her husband, causing her to be hospitalized with broken ribs and a broken eye socket. In the following weeks, while staying at the shelter, the daughter disclosed that this stepfather had also sexually abused her. She was sad, lonely and upset; yet, even though only nine years of age, was able to clearly verbalize her experience. A therapist was brought in to work with her and help her heal. Eventually, housing was found and furnished with donated items. The mother found employment at a bank; the daughter is doing well at school. The daughter still sees the counselor for sexual abuse help, and the mother attends a support group. However, the family has stabilized and found a measure of peace and safety through our efforts. Emergency Legal Advocacy- At the age of 75, Anna found the strength to confide in a nurse at the elder care facility in which she lived that her “loving husband’s” faithful visits were, in reality, a continuation of the sexual assault and humiliation she had endured for their more than fifty years of marriage. Too frail to attend a hearing at court, one was conducted via speakerphone from her bedside, with advocates both there and in the courtroom. She obtained a relief from abuse order that allowed her to spend her final days free of fear and abuse. Emergency Financial Assistance- Mary had lived in an abusive relationship for 22 years. She had left and gone back many times; but this time she was determined. She left with absolutely nothing, and faced many barriers: no transportation, no job, no state assistance, no knowledge of the county to which she had fled, and grown children blaming her and telling her to return. She persevered for two months, determined not to go back. She attended a support group and found a job. Her toughest hurdle came in finding an apartment within walking distance of work. When she did find one, she had to come up with $1800 for security deposit and first and last month’s rent. In partnership with Social Welfare, Community Action, Employment and Training and area Churches, we furnished the needed money. She is working and happy; her children have come to realize this was the best thing she could have done. Outreach Presentations- This year our agency’s Youth Educator provided students in numerous schools throughout the county with consistent, positive messages about conflict resolution, personal boundaries, and problem solving. Violence prevention programs include “Hands are not for Hitting”, “Start Treating Another Respectfully”, and “Teen Dating Workshop.” They offer a range of options to schools and community groups wishing to support young people in making non-violent choices, all the while allowing us to build community awareness of the other programs our agency has to offer.
E. ISSUES OR TRENDS IMPACTING CRIME VICTIM SERVICES: Vermont’s crime victims have long ranked restitution at the top of their lists of what they wanted most from the criminal justice system. This year, the Vermont Office of the Auditor of Accounts performed a review and published a report highlighting the feeble efforts made by the Department of Corrections in collecting restitution owed to victims. This prompted the Legislature to call for an interagency committee to be established to develop a plan for a viable and effective system for collecting what the courts have ordered. This process is well underway and, when completed, should provide substantial financial benefits to crime victims in the state.
F. USE OF VOCA ADMINISTRATIVE FUNDS: VOCA administrative funds are used primarily to pay for staff salaries. This year, besides using the funds merely to support the positions of Grants Manager, Administrative Assistant and Executive Director, the Center has been able to hire a Technical Assistance Coordinator, who is charged with changing what has been a minimal subgrantee monitoring process into a proactive grant funding assistance office, helping beleaguered heads of non-profit victim service agencies to meet the increasingly more complicated challenges of developing an effective coordinated community response to crime.