Expanding Victim Services to Young Male Survivors and Families

The Office for Victims of Crime’s (OVC) Vision 21: Transforming Victim Services Final Report (Vision 21) envisions that “all crime victims in the 21st century can readily access a seamless continuum of evidence-based services and support that will allow them to begin physical, emotional, and financial recovery.” However, Vision 21 recognizes there are serious challenges to achieving this goal. Improving the field’s understanding of violence and trauma and their effects on survivors are among these challenges. To this end, OVC collaborated with the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) to release the FY 15 Supporting Male Survivors of Violence solicitation. The solicitation sought to enhance the services available to male survivors of violence, particularly boys and men of color, and their families, by funding demonstration projects that put in place evidence-based models and practices to provide trauma-informed, comprehensive services and supporting policies for these survivors and their families. OVC and OJJDP used this solicitation to competitively select 12 demonstration sites from across the country to meet this need.

The White Buffalo Calf Woman's Society (the Society) will use this $1,000,000 award to expand their existing victim services to develop appropriate, culturally relevant and effective services for male survivors, ages 10-18, and their families on and around the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota. During the three year project period, the Society will partner with local youth programs, schools, the juvenile facility, therapeutic providers and reservation-based youth organizations to develop effective policies and programs to identify male survivors and their families and connect them with comprehensive, trauma-informed services.

ca/ncf

The Office for Victims of Crimes (OVC) Vision 21: Transforming Victim Services Final Report (Vision 21) envisions that all crime victims in the 21st century can readily access a seamless continuum of evidence-based services and support that will allow them to begin physical, emotional, and financial recovery. However, Vision 21 recognizes there are serious challenges to achieving this goal. Improving the fields understanding of violence and trauma and their effects on survivors are among these challenges. To this end, OVC collaborated with the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) to release the FY 15 Supporting Male Survivors of Violence solicitation. The solicitation sought to enhance the services available to male survivors of violence, particularly boys and men of color, and their families, by funding demonstration projects that put in place evidence-based models and practices to provide trauma-informed, comprehensive services and supporting policies for these survivors and their families. OVC and OJJDP used this solicitation to competitively select 12 demonstration sites from across the country to meet this need. The White Buffalo Calf Woman's Society (the Society) will use this $1,000,000 award to expand their existing victim services to develop appropriate, culturally relevant and effective services for male survivors, ages 10-18, and their families on and around the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota. During the three year project period, the Society will partner with local youth programs, schools, the juvenile facility, therapeutic providers and reservation-based youth organizations to develop effective policies and programs to identify male survivors and their families and connect them with comprehensive, trauma-informed services. ca/ncf