Grantee Showcase Archive

Organizations that have received grant funding from OVC are making the most of their awards in a wide variety of inspiring and often innovative ways. The projects listed below are examples of the first-rate outreach activities being performed by OVC grantees.

Tundra Women's Coalition

Providing services to remote rural communities is extremely difficult. The Tundra Women's Coalition (TWC), located in Bethel, Alaska-400 miles from Anchorage-provides services to victims of family violence, sexual assault, and child abuse. The organization manages a variety of programs, which include—

• A children's advocacy center that provides forensic interview services and followup for children and families after allegations of child sexual abuse;
• An emergency shelter for victims of domestic and sexual violence;
• A legal advocacy program; and
• Transitional housing.

Through the Counseling for Crime Victims in Indian Country by Faith-Based Organizations (CCVIC/FBO) grant program, TWC provides support, training, and technical assistance to faith-based organizations, spiritual leaders, and traditional healers, greatly enhancing the faith community's ability to provide counseling services to crime victims. The grant has also enabled TWC to conduct annual faith and families conferences. The most recent conference, held in May 2006, included attendees from all faith denominations, community members, social workers, victim advocates, counselors, Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) workers, medical providers, and law enforcement.

Maryland Crime Victims' Resource Center

Faith leaders are often the first source of comfort for victims of crime. To help victims, they need to know and trust the resources in their communities. In 2002, the Maryland Crime Victims' Resource Center (MCVRC) established comprehensive services for crime victims in five high-crime urban sites through networks of both faith-based and secular local victim assistance programs. This program, the Collaborative Response to Crime Victims in Urban Areas, led to cross-training and referrals between the two groups. MCVRC plans to publish a best practices document based on lessons learned for the benefit of the field.

Another program begun in 2005, Helping Outreach Programs to Expand II, aims to increase the number of crime victims served and training opportunities for service providers to help them. Collaboration and networking among the victim service agencies is also a goal. MCVRC will make subawards of $50,000 each to 48 sites to implement their projects.

OVC administers these faith-related initiatives and MCVRC serves as a conduit of funding and technical assistance provider to sites across the country.

Helping And Lending Outreach Support (HALOS)

HALOS, an organization serving abused and neglected foster children, connected with award-winning filmmaker Richard Almes to produce a heart-wrenching "Birthday Salute" public service announcement. After airing this and other PSAs, HALOS has experienced a noticeable boost in donations to the program, media coverage, and community involvement.

The CASE Partnership

The CASE Partnership, a unique collaboration of prosecutors and faith communities that provides elder fraud prevention, crime detection and reporting, and victim support, is expanding from the Denver area throughout the United States. Fraud Alerts and clergy training sessions are among the proactive efforts being undertaken as a result of this partnership.

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