Title
Authorization to Apply for, Accept, and Enter into an Agreement for Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) Grant Funds and Create Associated Positions (Ordinance S-46407)
Description
Request to authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to apply for, accept, and enter into an agreement with the Arizona Department of Public Safety for a Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) grant in an amount not to exceed $3,000,000. Authorization is also requested for the City Manager, or his designee, to create seven temporary, full-time equivalent positions to operate the Victim Services programs in the City of Phoenix Prosecutor's Office. Further request authorization for the City Treasurer to accept, and for the City Controller to disburse, all funds related to this item.
Report
Summary
The VOCA grant is federally funded and administered by the Arizona Department of Public Safety. This funding provides an opportunity to request ongoing and additional funding to further enhance the victim services landscape in the City of Phoenix Prosecutor's Office. It is anticipated that the VOCA application will be released in February or March.
For more than 20 years, the City of Phoenix Prosecutor's Office has requested and received approval from City Council to apply for VOCA grant funds to partially fund victim advocates in the Victim Services Unit. Advocates provide an array of legally mandated as well as compassionate services to victims of misdemeanor crimes that occur within the City of Phoenix. These services include assisting victims in making safety plans, assisting victims seeking shelter from their abusers, connecting victims to necessary resources inside and outside of the City, attending court, arranging for transportation to and from court, and providing legally mandated notification of court dates. The advocate is often a compassionate listener when a victim needs to talk through the emotional impact of a crime.
This grant would provide continued funding for nine employees and new funding for seven additional positions. The grant application also requests funds for equipment such as computers, monitors, telephones, office furniture, and office supplies needed to provide direct service to victims. In recent years, VOCA funding allowed the City to greatly reduce the case load of victim advocates. Reducing case load significantly increases Victim Services' opportunity to provide more personalized services to all crime victims, meeting the needs of the community in alignment with the Domestic Violence Roadmap and the Human Trafficking Compass Plan.
Contract Term
The initial grant period is Oct. 1, 2020 through Sept. 30, 2023.
Financial Impact
Total grant funding will not exceed $3,000,000. The City's current funding for current Victim Services positions provides the required 20 percent in-kind match.
Location
Citywide
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Assistant City Manager Milton Dohoney, Jr. and the Law Department.