Crime victim services

Office for Victims of Crime Director Jessica E. Hart visited Austin, Texas on Wednesday, October 14, 2020, to hear from the field and announce grant awards to national and state programs.

Director Hart began her day with a tour of the National Domestic Violence Hotline. The Hotline, funded in part by the Office for Victims of Crime, operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and has handled more than 5 million phone calls and chats over its history.

Welcome everyone, thanks so much being here today. This is such an important discussion to be having, especially right now in light of the pandemic.

Before we begin, I’d like to extend a special thank you to the National Domestic Violence Hotline for hosting this event. And to Katie Ray-Jones, Gloria Terry, and Jason Buckner for all the planning and coordination that went in to organizing the roundtable.

On Tuesday, October 6, 2020, Attorney General Barr announced that the Office of Justice Programs awarded grants over $144 million to enhance services for victims of crime across the United States. Approximately $64.3 million of this funding was awarded by the Office for Victims of Crime.

The Department of Justice has a long-standing commitment to improve public safety in American Indian and Alaska Native communities.

In commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the International Day of Older Persons—a day in which we reaffirm our commitment to protecting and promoting the rights of seniors—Attorney General Barr announced $9.4 million in funding to programs serving older victims of fraud and abuse.

On Monday, September 21, 2020, Attorney General Barr and Advisor to the President Ivanka Trump announced the release of nearly $100 million in Office for Victims of Crime funding during a meeting at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia.