National Center for Culturally Responsive Victim Services
Ujima Inc., The National Center on Violence Against Women in the Black Community, along with its partner, The National Organization of Sisters of Color Ending Sexual Assault, is honored to introduce its National Center for Culturally Responsive Victim Services (NCCRVS).
NCCRVS, funded by a grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Justice Office for Victims of Crime, aims to:
- Increase the capacity of culturally specific victim/survivor service organizations to successfully manage local, state, and federal grants funds
- Address systemic barriers that limit access to Crime Victims’ Compensation funds for victims/survivors of crime from communities of color
- Address historical and current biases, policies, and practices that limit access to Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) funds for culturally specific organizations; and
- Identify and address the systems and practices that leave communities of color more vulnerable to experiencing violent crimes
What Will NCCRVS Offer?
- Identification of culturally-specific domestic violence victims’ service organizations across the U.S. and U.S. territories, the barriers to awareness of and access to victim services, and the gaps in victims’ services
- Listening Sessions to obtain feedback from organizations, survivors, and other stakeholders about the challenges to and successful strategies for addressing domestic violence and sexual assault in marginalized communities
- Knowledge Institutes that will deliver culturally relevant training and technical assistance to victim service providers, including management of government funds, meeting funder requirements, and grant program compliance
- Onsite technical training and assistance (TTA) to individual culturally specific organizations
- Onsite visits with Victims of Crime Act administrators, state and governmental partners, and mainstream TTA providers to increase access for culturally specific organizations
- Quarterly TTA webinars and an organizational listserv. Community-based and survivor-led organizations will be compensated for their participation in training and technical assistance programming.
For Government, Private Funders, and Mainstream Organizations:
NCCRVS will also provide TTA to mainstream organizations, government, and private funders on the impact of systemic bias and oppression on culturally specific organizations, victims/survivors, and their communities.
Specifically, TTA will address policies and practices that reinforce barriers to funding due to bias, the impact of historical trauma, and explore a public health approach to crime in communities of color.
