The Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office Victim Services Unit has received federal funding to promote community awareness of crime victims’ rights and services during 2019 National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, which is set for April 7-13.
The funding will be used to create awareness of crime victims’ rights and available services during a Victims’ Rights Rally & Family Safety Fair as part of a Community Awareness Project in Modesto on April 7. The funding comes from the U. S. Department of Justice Office for Victims of Crime through the National Association of VOCA Assistance Administrators.
First designated by President Ronald Reagan in
1981, National Crime Victims’ Rights Week increases general public awareness
of, and knowledge about the wide range of rights and services available to
people who have been victimized by crime. The theme for 2019 National Crime
Victims’ Rights Week is “Honoring Our Past. Creating Hope for the Future.”
“The support from OVC and NAVAA for our 2019 National Crime Victims’ Rights
Week activities will help us help crime victims,” said Cheryl Titus, victim
services program coordinator. “Members of our community are encouraged to honor
the past achievements of programs that aid crime victims and survivors and join
us in creating hope for a future where all crime survivors are treated with
dignity and respect, and receive the services they need and deserve.”
Since 2004, OVC’s NCVRW Community Awareness Project has provided financial and
technical assistance to more than 1,000 community projects that promote victim
and public awareness activities, and innovative approaches to victim/survivor
outreach and public education about victims’ rights and services during
National Crime Victims’ Rights Week.
The Stanislaus County District Attorney’s
Office Victim Services Program was one of the 92 projects recommended by NAVAA
and selected for funding by OVC for 2019 from the 200 applications that were
submitted nationwide.
The National Association of VOCA Assistance Administrators is a non-profit
organization that represents the 56 state agencies that distribute money from
the federal Victims of Crime Act Crime Victims Fund to more than 6,300 direct
victim assistance service providers. The money in the Crime Victims Fund comes
from fines and other monetary penalties collected from offenders convicted of
Federal crimes and not from U.S. taxpayers.