OVC FY 2019 Enhancing Community Responses to the Opioid Crisis: Serving Our Youngest Crime Victims

OVC’s mission is to enhance the nation’s capacity to assist crime victims and provide leadership in changing policies and practices to promote justice and healing for all victims of crime. OVC achieves this mission, in part, by administering discretionary award programs supported by the federal Crime Victims Fund to develop innovative training and technical assistance, and to provide direct services to improve the overall quality of victim assistance. The purpose of this solicitation is to address an urgent gap in crime victim services related to the opioid epidemic and to expand upon existing or establish new programs to provide services to children and youth who are victimized as the result of the opioid crisis. Projects selected under this solicitation will support service providers in expanding their current scope and expertise to ensure that children and youth—the most vulnerable victims impacted by the opioid crisis—are supported as they heal from the impact of crime and substance abuse.

With this award, Family & Children's Service will support an array of mental health counseling and case management services to children and youth who are crime victims as the result of the opioid epidemic. Family and Children’s Service will support efforts in Nashville and the larger Davidson County by providing training to agencies that interact with victims, coordinating a seamless community response to child and youth victims, and expanding clinical counseling and case management services to serve at least 200 child and youth victims impacted by the opioid crisis and substance abuse. The project team will convene a citywide task force to coordinate on an ongoing basis to strengthen service delivery to child victims.
(CA/NCF)