There are no major issues in Rhode Island that hinder victim assistance programs in assisting crime victims in filing for compensation benefits 


and in understanding eligibility requirements.

RFP's, PSA's, (Both television and radio), press conferences and billboard advertising on mass transit vechicles and highways are all efforts made by


non-profit agencies who receive VOCA funds to promote victim services.

All victims of crime are served. The Rhode Island U.S. Attorney's Office 


makes their referrals through their office to the appropriate victim 


service agencies. Representatives of the Rhode Island U.S. Attorney's 


Office also sit on various committee's along with State and Local representatives.

VOCA Funds are used to provide direct services to victim in order to 


resolve the CRISIS victimization. Crime victims are provided with 


knowledge of legal rights, transitional housing and counseling services. 


Funds are used to maintain active neighborhood and statewide outreach 


programs resulting in victim awareness of the agencies and services 


available to them. Agencies reported that victims are grateful that 


agencies offered them the opportunity to obtain assistance from various organizations. Funds are used to ensure that victims access court related services, legal referrals and assistance with victim compensation benefits. Agencies report victims feel relief from the burden of the judicial system. 


Funds also ensure a core of volunteers to assist in recruitment, support, 


and resource development. Agencies report victims commented on the entire agency staff's efficiency and willingness to help. 

The VOCA Trauma Treatment Project at Gateway Healthcare has exceeded the national normative scores measuring client satisfaction for outpatient psychotherapeutic and psychiatric treatment. The results of the YSS 


revealed that 100% of the respondents were satisfied with our services, 


91% felt that there was adequate access to the program, and 93% felt that staff attended to the specific cultural needs of the client. Overall satisfaction with services and perceived effectiveness for clients in the Trauma Treatment Project received an 84% positive rate versus the national


normative rate of 75%.  





The VOCA funded Rhode Island Helpline for Victims of Crime offers callers 


one centralized and well-publicized hotline number. Launched on January 


1, 1997, the Helpline is in its tenth full year of operation. Available 


24 hours a day, 365 days a year, the hotline is staffed by trained victim advocates who have completed a thirty-one hour, state-of-the-art training


program.





The VOCA Funded Office of the Child Advocate (OCA), through its Project 


Victim Services, throughout the years has identified numerous children in state care who are eligible for crime victim compensation and has helped


them seek and obtain compensation awards for sexual abuse and severe 


physical abuse suffered. Recent examples of how the program has favorably affected their lives include the following case histories:





MH, a male, found the courage at age eleven to reveal to his DCYF 


counselor that his mother?s boyfriend had been sexually abusing him for a number of years. DCYF investigated and indicated the allegations. The OCA filed a victim compensation claim and sought an award for pain and 


suffering and counseling/medical expenses. MH, who engaged in therapy and


resided in a treatment program for approximately two years, received a settlement award for $25,000.00, the maximum allowed by law. After turning twenty-one years old, MH received his award by direct payment. MH, who recently moved back to Rhode Island from Maine and lives with his parents, expressed on a survey the highest level of satisfaction with the assistance he obtained from Project Victim Services and with his award, which will help 


him to contribute to his path of independence.

A new and disturbing trend is developing in Rhode Island this year as 


Rhode Island leads the nation in high unemployment and is heading into an unemployment rate of double digits; there is a rise in people seeking VOCA help. 





VOCA in Rhode Island has always been a fund of last resort. As people 


suffer the loss of their jobs and cannot afford healthcare victims of 


crime who would otherwise seek private care from their employer's 


healthcare are seeking public assistance through VOCA. It is also been reported that there is a rise from people who were middle class.





The continued trend toward VOCA funding caps in this new environment is in


all honesty confounding at best and at its worst producing a false 


positive. The report acts as if a decline in victims of crime is occurring over the annual periods when the numbers of crime victims may be rising. In example, the report shows the underserved elderly population in greater declining numbers as the need for funds shifts to more traditional victimizations to compensate for the downward pressure put on by the cap


to keep funding level.


 


The cap is a form of (stagnation funding) level funding. However, as the 


cost of serving victims of crime rise annually, the number of crime 


victims served to the actual crime victim population does not remain 


stable but declines because funds are limited. 





Moreover, when funds are limited victims are simply turn out or turn away


and not counted. By all accounts, funding with a cap shrinks services as


the cost of those services rise. In the circumstances of a growing VOCA 


victim population showing up anytime soon in this report, it is unlikely 


because growing victims numbers never enter the system as the victim population grows.

The 5% VOCA administrative funds just about allows for one paid 


administrator to implement all VOCA programs and to coordinated all funding and monitoring.