Based on information received from VOCA sub-grantees, there appear to be a common but important theme and that is victims are typically not aware of victims compensation by means other than a victim service agency (and that is based on public awareness and/or referral).  Therefore, there are many eligible victims who do not receive victim compensation because they were not referred by police, a hospital, another social services agency or word of mouth referral.  

A Columbia area DV shelter maintains formal agreements with a variety of local agencies and organizations and is part of 3 coordinated community response teams [(DOVE (Domestic Violence Enforcement Unit), SART (Sexual Assault Response Team), and USART (University Sexual Assault Response Team)]. 

Services to federal crime victims are addressed through participation in the City of St. Louis Family Violence Council and the St. Louis County Domestic and Family Violence Council and contact with the victim advocate in the US Attorney?s Office. A SE Missouri agency that works with SV victims is experiencing more cases involving federal crime victims. The work extensively with federal agencies such as the US Attorney Generals Office and the FBI.   

A Northeast Missouri agency still provides outreach to clients where they live, rather than requiring them to drive to the local domestic violence shelter (some 75 miles away) for services. Outreach offices in three locations provide transportation, criminal justice, civil justice advocacy, medical advocacy, crisis intervention and case management to a large number of DV and SV victims. The majority of those served report they do not need shelter and want to stay in the community in which they live. In consultation with the MCADSV and the University of MO? Columbia School of Social Work, this Kansas City area shelter program is still operating a Respite and Transition program to address the varying stages of change experienced by domestic violence victims. The model enhances staff?s ability to assess and respond to the individualized needs of shelter residents. Concurrent to these changes, the shelter staff began addressing community living rules in an attempt to change from a system of written complaints for non-compliance to positive rewards system for compliance.  

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In some of our rural areas there is an increase of urban victims seeking refuge from domestic violence situation in the urban areas. This is causing a finanical stress on rural communities resources and budgets.  Also there are significant meth problems in rural areas and DV tends to go hand and hand with this problem putting more children at risk.  

The VOCA administrative funds have been used for part of the salaries of a Program Manager, Program Specialist, 4 Program Representatives, 2 clerical support assistant and an accountant. These individuals are directly responsible for the administration of the VOCA funds through monitoring, review and approval of grant applications, providing technical assistance to sub-grantees, etc. Additionally, the funds have been used for bringing in individuals from the "field" to assist with the grant reviews and to provide instructional seminars on completing the sub-grant application and a compliance seminar once the awards are made. We make every effort to keep our administrative costs low so that we are able to roll the unused administrative funds into the funding available for sub-grants. The funds we do use go towards providing assistance to our VOCA sub-grantees in the management of their VOCA sub-grants which in turn benefits crime victims in Missouri.