Enhancing Roanoke Valley’s Opioid Crisis Response

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 Service of Roanoke Valley (FSRV) and the Roanoke Valley Collective Response to the Opioid and Addiction Crisis (Collective Response) will build upon its successful partnership and expand its adult opioid addiction-related efforts to reach child victims and their substitute and kinship caregivers. Together they will organize community stakeholders, develop and implement a community response plan, equip responders with knowledge and skills to appropriately respond to young victims, promote local data-sharing agreements, and provide individual, group, and home-based support and mental health services to young victims and their caregivers. The team will also use a centralized database to track available resources in the Roanoke Metropolitan Statistical Area and neighboring communities, facilitating easy access to physical and behavioral health services for children and families. (CA/NCF)