CUOMO ANNOUNCES $6.5 MILLION TO FUND CRIME VICTIMS PROGRAMS ACROSS NYS

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced $6.5 million in additional funding has been awarded to programs that assist crime victims across the state. The federal funding will support 172 providers administering 226 programs that provide counseling, crisis intervention, advocacy and legal assistance, among other services. In total, victim assistance programs are receiving $43.8 million in federal funding for 2015-16.

“This funding helps ensure that people who are the victims of a crime can receive the support and assistance they need to recover,” said Governor Cuomo. “The organizations that receive this funding provide critically important services in communities across our state, and I am proud that our administration, with the help of our Congressional delegation, is supporting their missions.”

The state Office of Victim Services administers the grant funding for the programs, which are operated by non-profit organizations, hospitals and law enforcement agencies. Victim assistance programs typically receive a modest funding increase during their three-year contracts, but as a result of congressional action, they each received 15 percent more than anticipated in funding.

Governor Cuomo announced the funding as the Office of Victim Services is hosting a three-day conference in Syracuse for professionals from victim assistance programs funded by the agency. More than 400 professionals from across the state are attending the conference, which includes presentations by survivors of crime, workshops and panel discussions with an emphasis on trauma-related services for victims, caregivers and providers. There also will be a screening of The Hunting Ground, a documentary on the problematic handling of sexual assault cases on college campuses.

Congressman José E. Serrano said, “While we continue efforts to prevent crime, we also need to ensure that crime victims have access to the counseling and legal assistance they need to recover from traumatic experiences. These federal funds will boost victim assistance programs throughout the City, and I am glad that a significant part of these funds are going to the Bronx.”

The funding cycle for the $43.8 million in grants aligns with the federal budget year (Oct. 1 through Sept. 30). The majority of the funding comes from the federal Victims of Crime Act and the New York Victim and Witness Assistance Grant Program’s Criminal Justice Improvement Account, where all of the funding is the result of fines, fees and surcharges paid by certain offenders convicted in federal or state courts. State funds comprise the remaining 5 percent.

“There are few things in life more traumatic than being the victim of a crime. The experience can be harrowing, which is why it’s important for us to make sure those who go through it and are trying to move on do not have to do so alone. Governor Cuomo’s allocation of $6.5 million in federal funds to programs that assist crime victims will help ensure those suffering will receive the support and services they need in order to heal,” said Rep. Eliot Engel.

Salvador Conforto, chairman of the Crime Victims Support Services of the North Bronx (publisher of the Bronx Chronicle), was effusive in his praise of Governor Cuomo. “We’ve been struggling to keep our doors open and now with this grant we’ll be able to assist crime victims in the North Bronx,” said Mr. Conforto. “This grant could not be more timely.”

Bronx:

  • The Bronx County District Attorney’s Office: $317,396 to serve all crime victims.
  • Bronx Independent Living Services: $114,630 to assist all crime victims.
  • BronxWorks: $67,925 to assist all crime victims.
  • Children’s Aid Society: two grants totaling $291,055 to provide services to domestic violence victims in Manhattan and the Bronx and young black and Hispanic men in the Bronx who are crime victims.
  • Crime Victims Support Services of the North Bronx: $224,199 to assist any crime victim.
  • Kingsbridge Heights Community Center: $305,234 to assist victims of sexual assault in the Bronx.
  • Neighborhood Self Help by Older Persons Project: $84,571 to assist all crime victims.
  • Safe Horizon: seven grants totaling $4.34 million to assist all crime victims, in addition to specialized services for victims of child abuse, sexual assault and domestic violence in the five boroughs of New York City.
  • Violence Intervention Program: $858,671 to assist domestic violence victims in the Bronx, Manhattan and Queens.

Rep. Joe Crowley said, “Unfortunately, as long as there is crime on the streets, there will be victims who need help. I thank Governor Cuomo and the Office of Victim Services for administering these federal dollars to these vital programs. This funding will go a long way in ensuring victim assistance programs have the resources they need to do what they do best: help people.”

A complete list of the organizations and agencies that provide services to crime victims in each of the state’s 62 counties can be found here. In 2014, crime victim assistance programs funded by the Office of Victim Services served nearly 265,000 people across New York.

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