During the past year, several opportunities have arisen to enhance the statewide coordination between Victims' Assistance service providers and staff from the Victims' Assistance and the Victims' Compensation staff.  The collaboration included a review and revision of Victim Compensation applications and required documents.  The result has been that forms are more user friendly and easier to complete, thereby enhancing access.  However, the population distribution in Nevada and the growing immigrant population in the state continue to present ongoing barriers in accessing Victims' Compensation benefits.  Nevada has two distinct urban regions, which contain the majority of the state's resources, with a large rural/frontier region which has very limited resources.  Therefore, rural victims of crime often have to travel significant distances to access services.  Efforts continue to idientify and support victim assistance providers to fill existing service gaps.  All applicants for VOCA funding are required to demonstrate knowledge of compensation contacts and eligibilty at the time of the Request for Proposals (RFP).  Additionally, all service providers are provided information regarding compensation benefits and appropriate contact information annually to reinforce the importance of this linkage.  On-site reviewers also ask about compensation contact at the time of the reivew.  Nevada has a growing immigrant population.  However, recruitment of bilingual (Spanish speaking) volunteers and staff has proven to be challenging.  Therefore, Nevada's migrant population continues to be underserved.  However, provider awareness has increased, as have recruitment efforts.  The successful recruitment of bilingual volunteers or staff facilitates access to compensation benefits.  Finally, Nevada continues to be the fastest growing state in the country.  Therefore, the population continues to grow faster than available resources.  The emphasis on planning, collaboration, and assessment of service needs continues and has been an important part of ongoing attempts to address the population growth and its related concerns in Clark County.                 

collaboration with the private as well as public sector.  The State VOCA office develops a quarterly informational document/report that is sent to all current subgrantees that includes examples of private/public sector collaboration and which subgrantees are encouraged to model to enhance their collaborative efforts.   The Division of Child and Family Services (DCFS), as part of the requirement by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), oversees an ongoing assessment of Nevada's service array which includes extensive stakeholder meetings in each jurisdiction of the state (North, South and the Rural Region).  These meetings include critical public and private sector stakeholders who work together to identify issues related to service access, capacity and gaps.  Each jurisdiction then develops an action plan which outlines actions and timelines to address identified issues.  The action plan is tracked by DCFS.  An example of a successful ongoing collaboration between the private and public sector is an annual fund raiser which benefits The Rape Crisis Center in Clark County. This benefit involves collaboration between the service provider, a local privately owned and operated television broadcasting station, as well as several privately owned casinos and companies.  This annual event which took place most recently in September 2008 raised approximately a quarter of a million dollars for the service provider.  This year's featured entertainer was Jessica Simpson.  The event, called "Nina's Night Out" included a concert as well as a "meet and greet".  The September 2008 event marked the fifth year that the agency has held the event.  The response and collaboration from the Clark County business community is extensive as over fifty privately owned companies participated at some level.  The state continues to enhance existing collaboration between the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) Program and the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA)  Program through mutual participation in funding decisions as well as other collaborative opportunities.  Additionally, the Division of Child and Family Services (DCFS) has increased collaboration with the Department of Health & Human Services' Grants Management Unit in serveral areas.  Collaboration in the rural areas of Nevada is critical to successfully serving victims of crime and is encouraged and supported as resources are scarce.  These types of collaboration are essential given Nevada's rapid population growth and declining revenues and resources.

In Federal Fiscal Year 2008, enhancing available services to federal crime victims and underserved populations continued to be a priority for the Victims' Assistance program.  Funding to Native American programs continues with a focus of expanded shelter services and enhanced access to services.  Trafficking of illegal aliens has become more of an issue, especially in Clark County, where many of these victims have been sexually exploited.  These victims have enhanced access to shelter, legal services, advocacy, and assistance with accessing victims' compensation.  Rural providers have been the focus of additional technical assistance to maximize local resources so that rural victims will have greater access to services without having to travel.  With declining state resources, providing services to rural victims is an ongoing challenge. Elder Abuse is also a growing problem that service providers are encountering more frequently and are developing more effective strategies and linkages to address.

In Federal Fiscal Year 2008, several processes continued to contribute to the provision of quality services to victims.  First, the collaboration between the Univsersity of Nevada and the State has allowed for the development of individualized outcome measures which compliment and are aligned with providers' scopes of work.  This reporting system allows funded agencies to report utilization and performance indicator data on-line and provides immediate access for the State office to the information entered into the system.  This system also provides information to the State office about which subgrantees have reported and a daily reminder to subgrantees when their required report is late and until their report is completed.   This system is also utilized for provider surveys and important informational updates.  Future funding opportunities will also be posted on this system.  Training-  In Federal Fiscal Year 2008, two agencies were funded to provide statewide training through two separate providers.  For Federal Fiscal Year 2008, to address service provider concerns about travel costs, the Nevada Network Against Domestic Violence (NNADV)  provided three regional training opportunities across the state. These conferences were individualized for each region to address training needs specific to the region.  These needs were identified through a survey process.  A second provider, Nevada Urban Indians, hosted a one day training conference with an emphasis on domestic violence and traditional and cultural Native American treatment.  Participants at all funded training opportunities included members of local Native American tribes, social service providers from the Northern, Southern, and Rural Region of Nevada as well as members of law enforcement.  Program Monitoring and Evaluation- All subgrantees continue to have an on-site monitoring visit at least once per year.  If needed (as evidenced by staff changes, indications that the subgrantee needs additional support, or if the subgrantee requests additional visits/support), additional visits are scheduled. These on-site visits allow reviewers to complete an on-site fiscal and programmatic review of subgrantees.  The on-site review process is a good opportunity to assess subgrantee functioning, to identify any technical assistance needs and to develop a plan to address needs.  Several subgrantees have contacted the program during the year to inform the state that their executive director, or other key position, has become vacant and asked that the state conduct an additional  review to assist the provider agency in assessing their functioning and working with new incoming staff to facilitate their transition. Finally, to streamline payments to subgrantees, an online Request for Funds Report has also been developed that allows subgrantees to submit their funds requests and billing information electronically and enhances the state's ability to track subgrantee expenditures. This system allows the State VOCA office staff to develop various analyses of spending, assess unit cost, compile statistical reports and monitor expenditure rates and also for the State office to reimburse providers in a more timely manner.

police and spoke with an advocate.  During the interview with the advocate, the grandmother admitted that the grandson had been abusive on a regular basis and was stealing money from her.  The advocate worked with the victim to help her to feel with the criminal justice system.  She was supported in getting a Temporary Protective Order.  The advocate assisted her in getting the locks changed, getting transportation to appointments, and in obtaining food from the food bank.  The advocate also assisted her in making arrangements with the landlord to pay the rent.  The offender has been out of the home and was recently arrested for stabbing his new girlfriend.  The victim is continuing to receive assistance with her involvement with the criminal justice system.  Case History 3:  (Sexual Abuse) The victim was a 16 year old female client who was babysitting for her neighbors.  The offender stopped by with friends.  The victim and offender and the friends began drinking and the client subseqently fell asleep.  She awakened when the offender began to rape her.  Churchill County authorities were contacted and the Sexual Assault team was dispatched to meet the victim at the hospital for a full rape examination.  The advocate provided emotional support and offered various resources and assisted in the completion of the Victims of Crime compensation application.  The advocate was able to provide linkages to resources and aid.  Case History 4:  (Domestic Violence)  The victim is the disabled mother of a 12 year old boy whose husband has been increasingly violent toward her.  The victim has had two strokes directly related to the violence that she had endured over a 10 year period.  She also was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis and was confined to a wheelchair.  Her son was raised around the violence.  The client had contacted the local domestic violence shelter by telephone previously but finally came to the courthouse recently after an episode during which the offender also began to abuse her son.  Child Protective Services (CPS) were contacted and the mother applied for a Temporary Protective Order.  The CPS worked was dispatched to the home and the home was deemed safe if the offender did not return.  A hearing was scheduled and the victim was awarded custody, child support and spousal support.  The advocate assisted the victim with the process and also applied for a pro-bono attorney.  Both the mother and son were linked with domestic violence counseling and both are commited to continuing to work toward breaking the cycle of violence.

Nevada's rapid population growth in relation to decreased funding continues to present ongoing challenges related to the level of available resources for victims of crime.  As the population, especially in Clark County, grows so does crime and victimization.  Both of the urban regions of the state have seen an increase in violent crime.  The economic downturn is reflected in the increase in victims seeking services and resources to recover from crimes.  The implementation of the online utilization and data tracking system has allowed the state to more accurately track victimization numbers.  This year, as in the past, Domestic Violence, Child Abuse, Child Sexual Abuse and "other" crimes are the most frequently reported types of victimization.   On-site reviews include a discussion of the importance of tracking this type of data so that it will accurately reflect emerging trends and needs so that providers can respond to existing needs of victims as well as problem-solving related to the increasing cost of service delivery, the increasing need for services and decreased funding.  All providers are encouraged to increase collaborative activity designed to improve linkages for victims and to increase funding from non-federal sources.  However, as budgets have tightened the amount of available non-federal funding has decreased.

In Federal Fiscal Year 2008, as in previous years, VOCA Administrative funds are utilized to support and oversee the delivery of services to victims of crime statewide.  These funds continue to support the statewide on-site programmatic and fiscal reviews that occur at least annually for each subgrant issued from the grant, the on-line reporting system for victim utilization and performance indicators, the web-based system for on-line submission of reimbursement requests and a portion of support staff position.  The on-site reviews are critical in maintaining oversight and provide a mechanism to assess needed technical assistance.  Once identified, technical assistance is then facilitated through the appropriate mechanism.  The on-site review also provides an opportunity for reviewers to assess program sustainability, community resources, community collaboration, fiscal functioning and to provide direction to program staff to facilitate program change or growth.  On-line reporting of outcome measures and utilization has also enhanced the state's oversight and ability to assess service needs and utilization and identify emerging issues.  The web-based system that allows subgrantees to submit electronically all requests for reimbursement continues to enhance the program's ability to process payments and to track rate of expenditure of subgrantees.  This system has made tracking of subgrantees and funds easier.