Briefs

Funding application period opens for non-profits that help crime victims

January 6, 2025 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

Gov. Kathy Hochul. Photo: Frank Franklin/AP

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STATEWIDE — ORGANIZATIONS THAT HELP VICTIMS OF CRIME ARE URGED to apply for funding, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced on Monday, Jan. 6. The application period has opened for a record-level $379.5 million to fund programs and services for victims and survivors of crime for three years beginning Oct. 1, 2025, through Sept. 30, 2028. For the first time, OVS has designated $2 million annually to address existing gaps in services for Indigenous people.

New York State’s Office of Victim Services is seeking applications from community-based organizations, law enforcement agencies, hospitals and other entities across the state to provide free and confidential services to victims and survivors, including individual counseling, civil legal help, emergency shelter, support groups, case management and other assistance. OVS seeks applications from agencies and organizations that address their communities’ specific needs; encourage innovation in the field; offer trauma-informed services and support; and assist victims and survivors who face barriers to getting help, such as older adults, young men of color, individuals targeted by hate crimes, persons with disabilities, and the LGBTQ+ community. The agency must meet federal and state requirements to fund programs that serve victims and survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse, and gun violence; expand access to underserved individuals. The application deadline is March 19.

Governor Hochul secured $100 million in state funding annually for the three-year period to offset expected decreases in Federal Victims of Crime Act funding to ensure these essential services continue to be available for individuals and families in the immediate aftermath of a crime.

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