Florida and Michigan Cybercrime Victim Support Initiative

The Office for Victims of Crime is committed to enhancing the nation’s capacity to assist crime victims and provide leadership in changing attitudes, policies, and practices to promote justice and healing for all victims of crime. Through the Vision 21: Advancing the Use of Technology to Assist Victims of Crime solicitation, OVC seeks to support organizations which demonstrate innovative strategies to create, expand, or enhance the use of technology initiatives on a national or nationally replicable scale to improve response, services, and access for victims of crime. OVC will support projects across a variety of technology platforms that could include, but are not limited to: 1) the development of new national app(s) or creation of another technology platform designed to serve victims of crime, including updating and maintenance for the length of the award; 2) the development of regionally focused app(s) or creation of another technology platform designed to serve victims of crime; or 3) the expansion or enhancement of existing services and/or hotlines on digital, online, or text platforms or an app that uses technology to provide services, referrals, tools, and information to victims of crime.

With this award, “The Florida and Michigan Cybercrime Victim Support Initiative” through a partnership between Heart of Florida United Way, Heart of West Michigan United Way, and the Cybercrime Support Network (as well as national partners in law enforcement, consumer protection, and victim advocacy) propose to utilize 211 line and website technology to: improve cybercrime victim access to recovery resources and reporting, to provide one on one counseling and community resources for financial recovery including assistance with crime victim’s compensation and emotional support, to improve recovery and resiliency supports through community outreach and education, to develop a foundation of training, resources, and protocols for serving cybercrime victims on a national level; and to increase national cybercrime data to assist in building a more robust response.

CA/NCF