Title
Authorization to Apply for, Accept, and Enter into an Agreement for Victim of Crime Act (VOCA) Grant Funds (Ordinance S-49805)
Description
Request to authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to apply for renewal, accept, and enter into an agreement with the Arizona Department of Public Safety for a Victim of Crime Act (VOCA) grant in an amount not to exceed $478,039. 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. The application provides an opportunity to request ongoing and additional funding to further enhance victim services in the City of Phoenix Prosecutor's Office. The VOCA renewal application process has opened for the grant period Oct. 1, 2023, to Sept. 30, 2024.
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, translating complex nuances of the process to victims and providing legally mandated notification of court dates. The grant would provide continued funding for five employees. In recent years, VOCA funding allowed the City to greatly reduce the case load of victim advocates. Reducing the 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, 2023, through Sept. 30, 2024.
Financial Impact
Total grant funding will not exceed $478,039. City funding for existing Victim Services positions provides the required 20 percent in-kind match.
Location
Citywide
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by City Manager Jeffrey Barton and the Law Department.