Victims of Crime Act (VOCA)
The VOCA Formula Grant Program, created under the 1984 Victims of Crime Act, provides federal funding nationwide to support victim assistance and compensation programs, to provide training for diverse professionals who work with victims, to develop projects that enhance victims' rights and services and to undertake public education and awareness activities on behalf of crime victims.
VOCA is administered at the federal level through the U.S. Department of Justice, Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) which annually awards a grant to each state, the District of Columbia and U.S. Territories. States have sole discretion in determining which organizations will receive funds and in what amounts, as long as the recipients meet the requirements of VOCA and the Program Guidelines http://ojp.gov/ovc/voca/vaguide.htm
The Crime Victims' Fund is the source of funding for these programs. Millions of dollars are deposited into this fund annually from criminal fines, forfeited bail bonds, penalties, and special assessments collected by U.S. Attorneys' Offices, federal U.S. courts, and the Federal Bureau of Prisons. To date, Crime Victims' Fund dollars have always come from offenders convicted of federal crimes, not from taxpayers.
The primary purpose of VOCA is to support the provision of services to victims of crime throughout the nation. According to the VOCA Program Guidelines, services are defined as those efforts that (1) respond to the emotional and physical needs of crime victims; (2) assist primary and secondary victims of crime to stabilize their lives after victimization; (3) help victims understand and participate in the criminal justice system; and (4) provide victims of crime with a measure of safety and security. For the purpose of the VOCA crime victim assistance grant program, a crime victim is a person who has suffered physical, sexual, financial, or emotional harm as a result of the commission of a crime. Funding cannot be used for the investigation of crimes, collection of evidence to further the prosecution of crimes or for prevention activities.
VICTIM POPULATIONS TO BE SERVED
The overall purpose of the VOCA legislation is the expansion and development of victim services. Under the VOCA Program Guidelines, funding priority is given to programs serving victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, and child abuse. At least 30 percent of each year's formula grant must be allocated to sexual assault, domestic violence, and child abuse services, 10% for each category. An additional 10% must also be allocated to victims of violent or property crime who are "previously underserved," which indicates that the particular victim population historically or currently has not had access to or been provided with specialized or adequate services. DCFS has determined that the previously underserved populations that will be targeted for funding are: Children and Minors, Immigrants, Elderly, People with Disabilities, LGBTQIA2+, Tribal Communities and Homeless.
Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA)
The Family Violence Prevention and Services (FVPSA) formula grants to states and territories. FVPSA funds more than 1,600 local public, private, nonprofit and faith-based organizations and programs demonstrating effectiveness in the field of domestic violence services and prevention. These domestic violence programs provide victims of domestic and dating violence and their children with:
- Shelter
- Safety planning
- Crisis counseling
- Information and referral
- Legal advocacy
- Additional support services/ Related Assistance
Victims of Domestic Violence fund (ML)
The State of Nevada will fund, pursuant to NRS Chapter 217.400 to 217.460, one or more programs that serve victims of domestic violence to include children and adolescents exposed to domestic violence.
Funding supports innovative programming in nonprofit and public agencies and funds are awarded on a state fiscal year basis based marriage license revenue that has been collected. The Nevada Revised Statutes guarantees a base amount of $7,000 to all counties with a population of less than 100,000 and a base amount of $35,000 for counties in excess of 100,000. In addition, all counties whose population exceeds 20,000 receive an additional per capita allotment from the balance of funds after the base amount is identified
Funding provides services to Victims of Domestic Violence as follows, not inclusive: support shelter, hotline, food assistance for clients, counseling services, obtaining legal, medical, outreach, psychological or vocational help and education and training for members of the community.
Child Welfare Grants
These grants are awarded to non-profit, governmental and community agencies that provide Child Welfare Services.
Adoption Incentive
The Adoption Incentives program provides for the payment of incentive funds to eligible states and territories that increase the number of children adopted from public foster care. The program began in fiscal year 1998 as part of the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 and has since been reauthorized twice: as part of the Adoption Promotion Act of 2003 and as part of the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008.
Independent Living
The Nevada Independent Living Program was created by the John H. Chafee Foster Care Independence Act of 1999. The Independent Living Program is designed to assist and prepare foster and former foster youth in making the transition from foster care to adulthood by providing opportunities to obtain life skills for self-sufficiency and independence. Some young people who leave the foster care system may need continuing services and support to help them on their way to adulthood. The Independent Living Program does this by providing many learning and training opportunities along with financial assistance.
The three major sources of funding to assist foster and former foster youth in Nevada come from the federal and state government. The federal funding comes from the Foster Care Independence At of 1999 which established the John H. Chafee Foster Care Independence Program. Federal funding also supports the Education and Training Vouchers. The State of Nevada also provides financial assistance to former foster youth through the passage of Assembly Bill 94, also known as the Financial Assistance to Former Foster Youth Program (FAFFY). Each of these programs provides a variety of services and may have special requirements.
Some of the services provided through the Independent Living Program include:
- Daily living skills
- Money management
- Decision making
- Housing assistance
- Substance abuse prevention, nutrition education and pregnancy prevention
- Preparation for postsecondary training and education
- Mentors
- Financial assistance with college or vocational schools
- Medical coverage
- Counseling
- Assistance in obtaining the GED
Title IV-B 2
The purpose of this program is to enable States to develop and establish, or expand, and to operate coordinated programs of community-based family support services, family preservation services, time-limited family reunification services, and adoption promotion and support services to accomplish the following objectives:
- To prevent child maltreatment among families at risk through the provision of supportive family services.
- To assure children's safety within the home and preserve intact families in which children have been maltreated, when the family's problems can be addressed effectively.
- To address the problems of families whose children have been placed in foster care so that reunification may occur in a safe and stable manner in accordance with the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997.
- To support adoptive families by providing support services as necessary so that they can make a lifetime commitment to their children.