DARYL FOX: Good afternoon everyone. Welcome to the January 11, 2024 installment of From the Director’s Desk. We’re glad you’re able join us today. All audio lines are muted, as this is a listen-only briefing. For reference, this recording will be posted tomorrow to the OVC website.
At this time, it’s my pleasure to introduce Kristina Rose, OVC Director, for today’s briefing.
KRISTINA ROSE: Thank you, Daryl. Good afternoon, everyone, and happy new year to all of you. I’ve just snuck away from our in-person day at OVC, where we have had numerous meetings and activities all day. It’s not often that we have such a large number of the OVC staff in the DC office at once, because of the different telework and remote work schedules.
One of the all-staff activities today was our first meeting of OVC’s book club. And I started the book club to serve as a shared professional development opportunity for all of the OVC staff. We choose books that are linked to the work that we do, and each division takes turns leading the discussion. Today’s book was about victim perspectives of justice, and I can tell you the discussion was fascinating. It’s a great way to engage with fellow colleagues and hear different interpretations of the text. I highly recommend it.
And January marks two very important commemorations: National Human Trafficking Prevention Month, and National Stalking Awareness Month. The White House has issued Presidential proclamations to acknowledge both of these important issues.
In the Human Trafficking proclamation the President calls “upon businesses, civil society organizations, communities of faith, families, and all Americans to recognize the vital role that we play in combating human trafficking and to observe this month with appropriate programs and activities aimed at preventing all forms of human trafficking.” As the largest federal funder of anti-human trafficking victim services, we are grateful at OVC to be entrusted with the resources to help cities, counties, tribes, states address the harms caused by human trafficking. We’ve posted on our website an outreach guide that focuses on raising awareness about child labor trafficking; we’re hosting a webinar on January 31st about labor trafficking and available resources and services; and we’re highlighting one of our graphic novels—a part of the Child Victims and Witnesses Support Materials series—that features the story of Sergio, a young victim of labor trafficking in a federal case. So be sure to follow along with us on our website and social media channels.
In regard to stalking, next week, Anna Nasset, an international speaker and writer on the subject of stalking, will come to OVC to talk about her experience as a survivor of this crime. Anna now provides training on how to recognize stalking when it happens, how to get help, and how to navigate the criminal justice system. Some of you remember Anna as she was one of our fabulous speakers at the 2023 National Crime Victims’ Rights Week Candlelight Vigil.
Next week I’m heading to Puerto Rico to participate in several site visits. We’re joining staff of the Attorney of the Puerto Rico Attorney General’s Office, as they meet with OVC subgrantees throughout the island to really see the VOCA dollars at work. I’m really looking forward to spending time with the VOCA administrators and their teams.
And now, for the Crime Victims Fund update. In November, $32.2 million dollars was deposited into the CVF. The balance of the CVF currently sits at just over $1 billion. And if you’ve been tracking right along with me, you’ve probably noticed that the balance is going up and down over the last couple of months—but always hovering around that $1 billion dollar mark. And that’s because of activities associated with closing out our fiscal year ‘23 and opening fiscal year ‘24, like when obligations and deobligations are returned to the fund. We do remain close to the $1.2 billion dollar cap that was put forward in the President’s budget and in the House and Senate marks. So we will keep you updated!
And now for a few lightening round updates and reminders:
- In case you missed it, we released the artwork for the 2024 National Crime Victims’ Rights Week earlier this week. It’s quite a departure from previous years’ artwork. We chose this particular art because it has more than one visual interpretation, and it may mean something different to everyone. This year’s theme is Options, services, and hope for crime survivors. How would you help? This theme asks all of us, not just service providers but also friends, families, roommates, community organizers, “how would you help” if someone disclosed that they had been a victim of crime? Through this year’s theme, we commit to creating safe environments for crime victims to share what happened to them. By doing so, we're able to offer support, options for life-saving services, and, most importantly, hope. I would love to hear your thoughts about the theme and the artwork, so you can send us your comments to [email protected], or post them on social media and tag us.
- In other news, population certifications for the FY 2024 Tribal Victim Services Set-Aside Program are due Friday, February 9th. OVC will use the information from the forms to allocate a portion of any Tribal Set-Aside that Congress authorizes for 20—actually, appropriates for 2024 for each eligible applicant who submits a Population Certification Form. So this is a really really important step in the process, so we encourage you to apply if this is something that you want to do.
- And make sure to register for next week’s virtual consultation on the Tribal Set-Aside, taking place on Wednesday, January 17th and Thursday, January 18th, from 1:00-3:30 p.m., eastern time each day. We’re inviting testimony from elected or appointed Tribal leaders, or someone designated by an elected or appointed Tribal leader.
- In my December briefing, I mentioned that we were expecting the proposed rule for the federal crime victim compensation program to post in the Federal Register any day now. And, no, you haven’t missed it! Despite my excitement, it still has not been published. So, if you don’t want to keep checking back, know that once it’s published, we’ll announce it on our website, through our social media channels, and through our mailing list. To make sure you receive the announcement, I encourage you to subscribe to News From OVC on the OVC website. And you’ll find the link in the footer of our website at ovc.ojp.gov.
- Also, we released our 2023 Report to the Nation which summarizes the programs, activities, and accomplishments of OVC in Fiscal Years ‘21 and ‘22. Now I know that it “summarizes” and that I called it a summary of OVC’s activities, but let me tell you—it is a very thorough summary. Not only does this report include descriptions of our many initiatives, but it also provides data—data about the victim compensation and assistance formula funding, about discretionary grant programs, about outreach and marketing campaigns, and products and services. So I hope you’ll take a look! The next report will come out in the summer of 2025.
Finally, I wanted to let you know about a few vacancy announcements in USAJOBS.
- First, OVC has two openings in our Discretionary Programs Division. Both are GS-14 grant management specialist positions; one with a focus on mass violence and the other with a focus on gender-based violence. The application period ends next Monday, January 15, so if you are interested get your applications in! More information about both is available in an announcement on the OVC homepage at ovc.ojp.gov.
- There is also a vacancy announcement for a Senior Policy Advisor in the Office of the Assistant Attorney General at OJP, the agency under which OVC resides. This position was created as a result of the Violence Against Women Act (2022), and requires expertise in domestic violence, dating violence, stalking, and sexual assault and the impact of these crimes in culturally specific communities. Visit usajobs.gov for more information and be sure to apply by January 16th, which is next Tuesday.
So that’s all I have for today. Thank you all for everything that you do to help crime victims find their justice. Take good care and see you next month.
