The Wisconsin VOCA victim assistance and crime victim compensation staff continued coordinated efforts to ensure that crime victims have access to the Crime Victim Compensation (CVC) program.  Wisconsin VOCA assistance guidelines outline specific standards for subgrantees to meet in order to comply with eligibility criteria.  These include:


1.	Maintain a supply of CVC brochures and applica?tions.


2.	Establish agency policies and procedures to identify clients who may be eligible for CVC benefits.


3.	Ensure that all agency service staff is familiar with the CVC pro?gram.


4.	Assist clients in filling out applications and gathering necessary information and documentation.


5.	Coordinate with other local service providers.


6.	All VOCA funded positions are required to receive Wisconsin Department of Justice sponsored training regarding CVC and Wisconsin Crime Victim Rights.  Two trainings were provided around the state to 28 people holding VOCA funded positions during this grant year.





As in past years, VOCA subgrantees reported the following issues they believe hinder victims from utilizing the crime victim compensation program:


?	many victims of crime that we work with choose not to report law enforcement or do not report within five days making them ineligible for CVC benefits.


?	resistance to getting reimbursement for lost wages because some victims don?t want their employer to know about the crime.


?	many Latino victims are undocumented and therefore do not report the crime, in part due to their fear of deportation for themselves or their abuser.


?	often the victim believes that the costs related to the crime will ultimately be placed on the abuser and victims are afraid of making their abuser more angry.


?	the victims we see who have just been sexually assaulted are often in a state of crisis and therefore have trouble assimilating information, asking questions and making decisions.


?	many people in our area are unavailable by phone so it is difficult to provide follow-up services.


?	some victims become transient and are difficult, if not impossible, to contact.


?	guilt and shame continue to be contributing factors to victims not filing claims for compensation.





Additional issues identified during this reporting period include:


?	some hope that the resolution within the criminal justice system will offer them the relief they need.  Others find the idea of participating in counseling at the same time to be too much.


?	many victims do not have a lot of trust in any system connected with their victimization.


?	an obstacle that our program has come across when working with Spanish speaking victims is that a crime victim compensation application is not available in Spanish, making it hard for these survivors to apply for benefits.  Having an application in Spanish would help these families take full advantage of the crime victim compensation benefits (This issue was brought up several times in subgrantee performance reports).


?	victims want a fast food approach to services and want immediate results.  Aside from not receiving cash in hand the day they apply is that many do not want to go through filling out paperwork and waiting until a final decision is reached.  Many want to move on and will find other means to pay for or receive treatment.


?	it is difficult for victims to see their future prospects and do not report the crime; therefore they would be ineligible for crime victim compensation.


?	it remains a challenge to encourage people who are not native to this country, especially recent immigrants, to contact a government agency for any assistance.  They are skeptical of assistance and fearful of making a mistake that could result in their deportation-whether they are ?documented? or not.

VOCA subgrantees in Wisconsin are active in a variety of ways to coordinate public and private efforts to crime victims in their communities.  As stated in subgrantee VOCA Performance Reports:


?	we continue to be actively involved with our county?s Coordinated Community Response(CCR) team; Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) and with our local Child Advocacy Center.


?	staff help to train recruits from the local police department.


?	surveys are sent to referral agencies, schools, churches and area businesses.  This evaluation provides us with valuable information about the quality of services we are providing, duplication or lack of services, and the satisfaction level of the relationship between our agencies.


?	our agency has a relationship with Goodwill Industries that allows clients to be placed at the store and work for a set number of hours for an hourly rate of pay, payable by Goodwill Industries.


?	our agency keeps in close contact with local agencies and community service providers that work with victims of sexual assault providing in-service training on the services we provide.


?	many subgrantees are members of coordinated community response teams, sexual assault response teams, I-teams and other groups that help coordinate better services for crime victims.


?	our area developed a Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) to assure sexual assault/abuse victims are treated respectfully, without judgment and with compassion no mater where they receive services.


?	our agency works with our county?s Child Advocacy Center (CAC) to assist child victims of sexual abuse receive well coordinated services.


?	our agency is involved in our TRIAD organization, which is senior citizens and law enforcement working together.


?	we participated in a training video for the local police department on elder abuse issues and the services available to victims of elder abuse.


?	our local radio stations aired many public service announcements through the months of April (for Sexual Assault Awareness Month and Crime Victim Rights? Week) and October (for Domestic Violence Awareness Month).


?	advocates staffed numerous community fairs where informational materials were made available to the general public.


?	we collaborated with the local college to sponsor a panel discussion and talk-back following the performance of a play about sexual violence.  Over 500 Mouse pads with information about our agency were distributed to computer labs in high schools and local colleges.


?	we coordinate with Salvation Army, St. Vincent DePaul and several faith based groups to provide direct aid for victims.


?	we help victims find resources for other funding, such as Amy?s Courage Fund which awards $2,000 to victims of domestic abuse to assist them in reestablishing their lives, such as relocation expenses, medical supplies and prescriptions, and other emergency needs that we cannot provide within the guidelines of our current funding.


?	we speak to women?s clubs, Red Hat groups, Credit Union Associations, churches during our communities? Women?s Health Day in order to get the word out about our services.


?	VOCA funded staff continued to obtain the court calendar at the DA?s Office on a daily basis.  This is continued to enable staff to increase visibility within the judicial system in an effort to connect with victims better.

Few VOCA subgrantees provide services to victims of Federal crimes.  As noted in previous Performance Reports, many domestic violence and sexual assault programs do not perceive their clients as being involved in federal offenses.  Efforts are underway to serve federal crime victims, however.  These include:


?	advocates work with the District Attorney?s Office to ensure that the organization is connected to the Federal prosecutor when a relevant case is prosecuted at that level.


?	staff serve on the US Attorney?s Office Bank Robbery Teller Task Force.  Services are provided by advocates to bank robbery victims at the request of the FBI.


?	the coordinator has participated in training pertaining to human trafficking.


?	our agency has collaborated on cases with the local military base and has also provided educational information to the Veteran?s Hospital.


?	interns from local universities are utilized to assist in many areas of community outreach and direct victim service provision.


?	staff has attended quarterly meetings of the Wisconsin Crisis Response Network, a consortium of federal, state and private agencies that attempt to link communities that are developing responses to large scale crimes or terrorism.


?	our program has continued to be available to provide debriefings for personnel impacted by bank robberies.  We utilize the video ?After the Robbery? that was produced by the US Attorney?s Office-Eastern District.


?	we meet monthly with the Multidisciplinary Task Force.  This Task Force consists of federal prosecutors, federal probation and parole officers, FBI representatives, tribal prosecutors, tribal police, tribal clinic representatives, social services and tribal victim services staff.

Most subgrantees report the usual array of activities designed to strengthen their ability to provide victim services.  These include: training to law enforcement; crisis response training; client satisfaction surveys; identifying service gaps; pre- and post-test for therapy groups; exit interviews.  Some specific efforts during this grant period included:


?	throughout the year our Victim Advocate coordinates training for our volunteer advocates.


?	volunteers have represented the agency and informed the community how to access victim services.


?	DART (Domestic Abuse Reduction Team) provides services to victims of domestic violence by pairing an advocate with a law enforcement professionals to work with the victim.  The advocate provides domestic violence education and supportive services to the victim.


?	our program offered home visits as an option for individual and family therapy.  In addition, we gave clients bus tickets to get to and from therapy appointments.


?	our agency updated our website to allow victims to easily read about programs and provide information on how to contact the program.


?	staff and volunteers were tabled at community fairs, cultural events and outer gatherings for the Latino community.


?	our agency printed emery boards with our crisis line number that make an inexpensive and useful ?hand out? item for outreach events.


?	weekly staff meetings provided an informal way to help staff obtain input from other staff members.


?	in order to meet the needs of all victims, two age specific support groups are offered.  Children?s support group is provided at the same time which makes it easier for the parent and the child to attend.


?	our agency sent out a newsletter to businesses, churches, clinics, schools and related agencies and individuals as a means of educating the community about our services.


?	our agency is a member of the Wisconsin Coalition Against Sexual Assault (WCASA) and the Wisconsin Coalition Against Domestic Violence (WCADV).


?	ready access of the police department to ?fun and functional? materials broadcasting our phone number has increased our referrals considerably over the years.


?	providing live interpretation services in order to communicate with victims who do not speak English.


?	articles were published in three local newspapers to inform the public about our services.


?	offered support groups for teens in high school and have been available for 1:1?s in the schools.


?	arranged cab rides for clients so they can receive services.


?	presentation on the importance of the Shamon in physical and emotional healing in the Hmong population.


?	our agency displayed brochures and posters with tear-off phone numbers and information about the services we provide.


?	we distributed cell phones to crime victims for emergency purposes only.


?	website development and enhancement  has helped crime victims gain information about victim services.


?	our program conducted its biggest outreach effort to inform the community about how to access VOCA funded services though a Mystery Radio Show.  The program was written by a member of our staff and took place on a local radio station and reached over 5,000 listeners.  The live, on-air commercials were different agency staff, volunteers and past clients talking about our services.


?	our agency participated in a multi-systems training to provide landlords information about victim issues, needs and available community resources.


?	satisfaction surveys are given to victims in order to assess if changes need to be made in the services we are providing.


?	as a component of new recruit training our local police department has their new recruits participate in a one-on-one session with our crisis response coordinator.  This session is to educate the new officer on victim services we provide.


?	we continuously update a comprehensive resource manual with information to effectively and efficiently aid crime victims.


?	our program has coordinated with the police department?s property officer to establish a system of providing victims with information on retrieval of their property.








On a statewide level the OCVS has funded the following activities to improve the delivery of victim services:


?	VOCA grants management team continues to monitor VOCA funded services by conducting program visits.  The agencies were given an opportunity to discuss issues with the VOCA staff and receive technical assistance.  VOCA staff is also able to assist victim services staff with linking them to resources that will enhance their VOCA funded victim services.  Seven program visits were conducted during this grant year.  This amount is down from previous years because of a vacancy in one of the positions conducting program visits in addition to the VOCA Coordinator being away for several weeks on maternity leave.  OCVS looks forward to conducting more program visits in 2009.





?	OCVS has sponsored mandatory regional CVC training for all VOCA funded positions.  This has heightened awareness of the CVC program and improved the delivery of victim services. (This is further discussed in the section regarding use of administrative funds).





?	Statewide Crime Victims Needs Assessment - The Wisconsin Department of Justice ? Office of Crime Victim Services (OCVS) is near completion of a statewide needs assessment documenting the services available to crime victims in Wisconsin counties and tribes and identifying the unmet needs of victims in the state.  OCVS administers a number of victim service programs, and it is our intention to use the results of the needs assessment to enhance our program planning and funding decisions.  The OCVS Grants Team has partnered with an experienced group of researchers from World Bridge Research to conduct this project, which began in January 2007.


	


Phase One of the project involved point of contact interviews with a representative from law enforcement, human services and victim/witness, who help to identify victim services that currently exist in their county.  From this list, selected victim service providers in each county are interviewed and asked to complete surveys.





In Phase Two of the needs assessment those who had been interviewed, as well as victim service providers, criminal justice professionals, victims and interested community members are invited to attend a district meeting.  (For purposes of this project, OCVS has chosen to divide the state using the ten judicial administrative districts.)  At the district meetings the information collected in Phase One is presented and the unmet needs of victims are identified.  Priorities for these needs are collaboratively set by the meeting attendees and later by polling participants unable to attend the district meeting.





Phase Three of the assessment is a user friendly, on-line report containing the district and tribal information, as well as a statewide analysis of victim services and unmet needs.  OCVS found the reports prepared by World Bridge Research, which summarizes the data and recommendations collected in each district, to be incredibly rich with significant information that could be used in a variety of ways by individuals from many different disciplines.





OCVS will certainly benefit from this wealth of information, but it is our intent that local communities and other state agencies also be able to use the resulting data and recommendations.  





?	VOCA training dollars were used to sponsor training around the state.  These include:





?	VOCA training funds were used to sponsor the 2008 WCADV Leadership Institute for People of Color on July 31-August 1, 2008.  This institute provided advocates and allies an opportunity to indentify strengths and develop skills needed to work in partnership for social change.  This event brought together a broad spectrum of partners and teams, from those that were newly formed to those with established histories of effective, solutions based, collaborative action.


?	VOCA training funds were used for scholarships provided for Sexual Assault Advocates to attend WCASA sponsored direct victim services training events held October 1, 2007 ? September 30, 2008 around Wisconsin.  


?	VOCA training funds were used to sponsor the Wisconsin Summit on Teen Dating and Sexual Violence April 15 and 16.  The summit brought together a diverse, multi-disciplinary audience to help formulate state and local responses to teen dating and sexual violence.


?	VOCA training funds were used to sponsor the Wisconsin Victim/Witness Professionals Association spring training event held May 14-16, 2008. 


?	VOCA training funds were used to sponsor the DOJ-OCVS sponsored Nuts and Bolts training.  New Victim/Witness staff is required to attend Nuts and Bolts training.  This training is specific to the work done by Victim/Witness Coordinators.  This was held February 20-22, 2008.  Approximately 20 participants attended this training.  

See attachment titled Victim letters.08

Several notable issues/trends previously reported continue to be of concern to victim service providers while some new issues have emerged:


?	the deteriorating economy has had a significant impact on agency clients.  It impacts their ability to keep appointments due to work obligations; lack of money for transportation; higher food costs and fluctuating gas prices.  It also impacts battered women?s ability to leave violent relationships due to a lack of economic options.  


?	many victims who come into our program have mental health issues along with the trauma from their abuse.


?	lack of 24-hour access to trained interpreters for victims whose first language is not English.


?	a hot topic among many advocates in rural Wisconsin is the perceived reluctance of some judges to impose on batterers the firearms restrictions spelled out in state and federal laws.  In many cases, judges have disregarded this law because they do not want to take away a batterers? gun during hunting season.


?	our agency is still seeing an increase in the number of domestic abuse victims who are also experiencing or have experienced sexual abuse.


?	an increasing number of our sensitive crime cases involve the use of the computer and attached video cameras.


?	we  are seeing an increased investment from professionals in the criminal justice system.


?	needs of clients increasing including homelessness, mental health and/or alcohol and drug abuse issues.


?	our agency has a established a relationship with a legal aid agency.  The attorney comes to our agency once a week to meet with clients who are victims of domestic violence to provide legal information and assistance.


?	financial abuse continues to be increasing at an alarming level.


?	a very notable issue among many subgrantees is the lack of affordable housing and transportation.


?	lack of legal representation


?	lack of accessible, affordable childcare


?	agencies noticed an increase in the number of clients they served, in addition to the level of violence experience by their clients.

During the reporting period (October 1, 2007 - September 30, 2008), Wisconsin used VOCA Administrative funds from the FFY 2005 grant as follows:


Administrative Funds - $280,649 


1.	VOCA Grant support positions - funding for various positions that assist in VOCA grant management responsibilities, including VOCA Coordinator, Grant Liaison and clerical support position.  Grant staff also conducts program visits to subgrantees to monitor compliance with federal guidelines, provide technical assistance and information about OCVS.


2.	Crime Victim Rights Board - non-legal operating expenses and costs to support the part-time staff person for statutory board to enforce victims' rights.


3.	Victim Rights Week 2008 - costs of organizing and presenting annual Crime Victim Rights? Week ceremony in State Capitol.


4.	VOCA Management Costs - ongoing expenses incurred in connection with VOCA grant management, including staff travel, training, equipment, postage, printing, phones, computer support, fiscal support, organizational dues.


5.	VOCA administrative funds paid for agency membership with the Wisconsin Coalition Against Sexual Assault (WCASA), Wisconsin Coalition Against Domestic Violence (WCADV) and the National Association of Victim Assistance Administrators (NAVAA).  


6.	OCVS has received many requests from victim service agencies around the state for more information on the CVC Program.  OCVS has now made it a requirement of all VOCA subgrantees to receive training on the CVC program.  VOCA administrative funds allowed Wisconsin to provide this training around Wisconsin.  CVC trainings were given to 28 VOCA funded positions.


7.	OCVS conducted a statewide assessment of the status of victim services in each Wisconsin county and tribe that concluded during this grant period.  In order to identify and plan for services that may be needed, a consultant was used to inventory the victim services that currently exist and related services, such as mental health and AODA services.  We expect that this assessment will help OCVS set future priorities for our grant and direct service programs.  (This project was also discussed in Section D and VOCA administrative funds have been used to support this project).





8.	Emergency Fund-VOCA administrative funds were used to reimburse a family for hotel expenses so the family could attend the trial for the man who killed their son.





9.	National Day of Remembrance for Murder Victims-costs of organizing and presenting annual ceremony to honor the memory of murder victims and recognize the impact violent crime has on victims, surviving family members and loved ones.  This event was held September 25, 2008 in Milwaukee.


10.	Applicants for VOCA funding (October 1, 2008-September 30, 2009) were subject to an open competition for the new funding cycle.  VOCA administrative funds were used to pay for expenses associated with the open competition.  VOCA administrative funds paid for the Department of Justice Office of Crime Victim Services to sponsor a statewide videoconference for agencies interested in applying for VOCA funding.  The teleconference allowed OCVS to describe the competitive application process and outline VOCA guidelines.  VOCA administrative funds also allowed us to pay a small honorarium to the application reviewers and also paid for other expenses involved in completing the competitive application process.