Brown Announces More Than $63 Million to Support Victims of
Crime
Special to The Truth
Last week, U.S. Senator
Sherrod Brown (D-OH) announced that the U.S. Department of
Justice's (DOJ) Office of Victims of Crime (OVC) has awarded
two grants worth a combined $63,153,829 in funding to the
State of Ohio to support organizations serving victims of
crime, including victims of domestic violence, child and
elder abuse, and human trafficking.
The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the risk of domestic
violence incidents, as victims are isolated from family,
friends, and support services. A recent report conducted by
the Ohio Domestic Violence Network (ODVN) has found that the
annual count of Ohio domestic violence fatalities has jumped
by 35 percent in the last year, a stark contrast to a
two-year decline in lethal domestic violence cases.
The awards are part of the
Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) and include:
* Victim Assistance
Formula: $58,307,829 to enhance crime victim services in the
state.
* Victim Compensation
Formula: $4,846,000 to enhance State Victim Compensation
payments to eligible crime victims. VOCA compensation funds
provide financial assistance to Federal and State victims of
crime.
"We have an obligation to
victims and to help our communities recover from violent
crimes, abuse, and other criminal activity. While these
funds are good news for Ohio, there's still more work to
do," said Brown. "That's why, earlier this year, I urged my
colleagues to increase the amount of money available for the
Crime Victims Fund to the highest possible amount and pushed
for all the funds from the program to go toward victims
assistance programs. I'm continuing to work with my
colleagues to ensure that Congress is doing all we can to
help victims and communities across the country."
Brown has long fought for
legislation to address domestic violence and support
survivors and their children:
Brown is leading the Child
Welfare Emergency Assistance Act, with Senators Kamala
Harris (D-CA), Robert Casey (D-PA), and Catherine Cortez
Masto (D-NV), which would provide flexible, emergency aid
for key child welfare programs to support vulnerable
children, youth, and families, increasing federal support
for parent training, family counseling, and substance use
disorder treatment.
The legislation would also provide families, caregivers, and
young people with a broad range of support services,
including assistance for transportation, housing, and
utility payments. Provisions from Brown's bill were included
in the bipartisan Supporting Foster Youth and Families
through the Pandemic Act introduced by Chairman Danny Davis
(D-IL-7) and in the Updated HEROES Act, which passed the
House earlier this month.
In May, Brown joined his
colleagues in introducing the Emergency Funding for Child
Protection Act, which would provide $500 million in
emergency funds for local child protective services and $1
billion for community-based child abuse prevention programs.
The funds for these local child protective services and
community based programs are flexible, and can be used to
target populations that have been disproportionately
impacted by COVID-19, including racial and ethnic
minorities, children with disabilities, families
experiencing domestic violence or homelessness, and LGBTQ
youth.
In April, Brown joined a
bipartisan letter to Senate leadership requesting robust
funding for Family Violence and Prevention Services
Programs, which provides grants to states, territories, and
tribes to support emergency shelter and supportive services
for victims of domestic violence and their children.
In March, Brown joined 23 of
his Senate colleagues in writing a letter expressing concern
for the wellbeing of families who face an increased risk of
domestic violence during the outbreak of the novel
coronavirus and urged the administration to ensure service
providers have the flexibility and resources to help victims
and survivors of domestic violence.
Brown fought to secure
funding in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security
(CARES) Act for victims of domestic violence and service
providers through the Family Violence Prevention and
Services Act, the Stephanie Tubbs Jones Child Welfare
Services Program, and the National Domestic Violence
Hotline.
If you or someone you know
is a victim of domestic violence or sexual assault, call the
National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or
contact the RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline at
800-656-4673. If you are in immediate danger, call 911.
To learn more about domestic
violence and ways to prevent it, visit the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention online.
|