OVC FY 2020 Continuation of FY19 Enhancing Community Responses to the Opioid Crisis - Serving Our Youngest Crime Victims

OVC’s mission is to enhance the nation’s capacity to assist crime victims and provide leadership in changing policies and practices to promote justice and healing for all victims of crime. OVC achieves this mission, in part, by administering discretionary award programs supported by the federal Crime Victims Fund to develop innovative training and technical assistance, and to provide direct services to improve the overall quality of victim assistance. The purpose of this solicitation is to address an urgent gap in crime victim services related to the opioid epidemic and to expand upon existing or establish new programs to provide services to children and youth who are victimized as the result of the opioid crisis. Projects selected under this solicitation will support service providers in expanding their current scope and expertise to ensure that children and youth—the most vulnerable victims impacted by the opioid crisis—are supported as they heal from the impact of crime and substance abuse.

With this award, JBS, International will provide an array of universal and targeted training and technical assistance to support grantee sites funded through OVC's Enhancing Community Responses to the Opioid Crisis: Serving Our Youngest Crime Victims grant program. This support will enable local community sites expand upon existing or establish new programs to provide services to children and youth who are victimized as a result of the opioid crisis. Funding will ensure that funded sites are provided the critical and time-sensitive support needed to reach vulnerable crime victims as quickly as possible during this national crisis, establish and grow their proposed programs in accordance with federal regulations, and build a strong network of victim service providers across the nation. Funding will also support a public facing website that will be used to share information, promising practices, and emergent issues with communities across the nation that are struggling to respond to these crime victims without the support of a direct federal grant.

NCA/NCF