Local groups receive total of $865,342 in Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) funding

A total of seven tri-county organizations have been awarded federal funds totaling a combined $865,342 through the state to help crime victims and combat domestic violence.

The Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet has awarded more than $26 million in federal grants to programs that assist victims of violent crime or help combat violence against women, Gov. Matt Bevin and Justice Secretary John Tilley announced on Dec. 17.

The funds are part of two federal grant programs – the Victims of Crime Act, known as VOCA, and the STOP Violence Against Women Act, known as VAWA.

Overall, the cabinet is awarding a record $25.2 million in VOCA money to 116 Kentucky programs, including those focused on child advocacy, domestic violence, sexual assault, law enforcement, prosecutor-based advocacy and legal aid, among other services.

Another $1.3 million in VAWA funds will support victim services, prosecutors, law enforcement, and court-based programs, among others.

Area organizations receiving the VOCA funds include:

• Cumberland River Behavioral Health – $115,200

• Williamsburg Police Department – $54,287

• Cumberland Valley Children’s Advocacy Center – $292,566

• CASA of Knox & Laurel Counties – $40,907

• Cumberland Valley Domestic Violence Services, Inc. – $213,960

• Laurel County Attorney’s Office – $89,028

• Knox County Fiscal Court – $59,394

“The Justice and Public Safety Cabinet is working proactively to ensure that Kentucky’s victims services programs are maximizing available federal dollars to assist with providing essential services to some of our state’s most vulnerable citizens,” said Gov. Bevin. “We applaud the cabinet for their dedicated efforts to secure over $26 million in funds for victims services, and we are grateful for their ongoing commitment to supporting victims and their families throughout the Commonwealth.”

The Justice Cabinet’s Grants Management Division has worked aggressively in recent years to capture more federal dollars and proactively match Kentucky programs to grant money. This year’s VOCA total, for instance, represents a 306 percent increase over the amount awarded in 2015 – $6.2 million – when 77 programs received funds.

“These dollars support vital programs for victims in Kentucky, and our grants team is striving daily to secure every possible resource,” Secretary Tilley said. “Our commitment to victims of violence and crime is greater than ever before.”