Rural Access Project

The primary aim of OVC's FY 2017 Vision 21 Integrated Services for Victims Program: Increasing Access to Mental Health Services for Victims of Crime (Vision 21 ISV Program) is to bridge the divide between crime victims, victim services providers, and mental health services providers so that communities are able to create a seamless network of services to assist crime victims to recover, heal, and thrive. The Vision 21 ISV Program includes five purpose areas. This project is funded under Purpose Area Purpose Area 3A: Increasing Access to Mental Health Services to Traditionally Underserved Victims of Crime. Projects funded under this program purpose area will increase access to mental health services for crime victims from traditionally underserved populations by awarding up to three, 36-month cooperative agreements to eligible applicants to develop and implement projects that propose to use technology and other innovative practices to reach these populations.

Clinical Support and Options, Inc. (CSO) is a nonprofit corporation located in Northampton, MA that began as a child guidance clinic more than 60 years ago. Currently CSO employs a multidisciplinary staff of more than 550 employees who provide behavioral health services throughout Western Massachusetts, including Springfield, Northampton, Greenfield, Orange, Athol, Pittsfield and Gardner. CSO has the capacity to address a complex array of mental and behavioral health issues including: adult and child psychiatry; school-based psychotherapy services; substance abuse evaluation and treatment; crisis intervention; and rehabilitation counseling for adults with persistent mental illness among other services. CSO has partnered with New England Learning Center for Women in Transition (NELCFWIT), a nonprofit domestic violence and rape crisis center that serves Franklin County, MA. NELCFWIT provides an array of services to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, including advocacy, crisis intervention, prevention and outreach, economic empowerment, and a supervised visitation and exchange program.

Together, CSO, NELCFWIT, as well as other community partners will use the funding from this award to serve victims of crime in rural Franklin County, MA by: (1) conducting a community needs assessment and developing a strategic plan to address barriers that prevent victims of crime from Franklin County from accessing mental health services; (2) hiring a .60 FTE Program Coordinator to coordinate program activities with project partners; (3) hiring a .80 FTE Trauma Clinician to provide a range of brief, focused treatment and recovery services, as well as longer-term treatment and support for survivors, children youth and families; and (4) hiring a 1.0 FTE Client Navigator to assist clients with navigating social and criminal justice systems, creating access to community resources, building strategic relationships, and conducting a variety of outreach activities, and maintain community partners relationships.

CA/NCF