Gang Alternative, Inc.'s Circle of Strength for Child Victims of Addiction Crisis (COS- CVAC)

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 America’s Drug Crisis to support direct services to children and youth who are crime victims as a result of the nation’s addiction crisis.

This award made to Gang Alternative, Inc. is funded under OVC FY2020 Enhancing Community Responses to America’s Addiction Crisis: Serving Our Youngest Crime Victims. Gang Alternative Inc. (GA) is a community-based organization with the mission to build character that lasts in children and families through positive alternatives to crime, violence, dependency, and delinquency.

In its implementation of Circle of Strength for Child Victims of Addiction Crisis (COS- CVAC), GA will enhance trauma-informed intervention and deliver substance abuse prevention and intervention programming to high crime, high poverty communities in the City of Miami, covering 12 identified census tracts, 9 of which are Designated Opportunity Zones (20.04, 19.04, 19.01, 20.03,17.02, 24.02,15.01, 18.02, 18.03, 17.03 10.04). Using a rigorous evidence-based screening tool, GA will target youth victims (ages 4-18) of child abuse, domestic violence, community crime, and violence, whose lives have been directly impacted by the addiction crisis. These victims are disproportionally exposed to high availability and use of drugs by family and community members and are considered “at-risk” as noted by school-related and socio-economic indicators.

The COS-CVAC team will coordinate efforts and promote local data-sharing agreements with GA’s well established network of multidisciplinary affiliates, partners, and community stakeholders including the Justice System, health care and substance abuse treatment providers, social services, existing victim service providers, and the Miami-Dade County Public School system, as well as GA-founded and led community coalitions and service partnerships - all of which contribute to GA’s robust referral system to quickly identify victims, coordinate efforts, and provide immediate and long-term support and services for young crime victims.

CA/NCF