Gov. Hobbs announced a $19M grant for the Victim of Crime Act's Crime Victims Fund, reaching victims services and programs to help them heal PHOENIX – Governor Katie Hobbs this week announced a $19 million grant for the Victim of Crime Act's (VOCA) Crime Victims Fund, which will be distributed by the state's Department of Public Safety to serve victims' needs. The funds are from the American Rescue Plan Act, and other local pandemic-related recovery funds. This grant will be directed towards victims services such as domestic violence shelters, legal assistance, and housing services. This allocation brings much needed stability for services that rely on federal VOCA funding , which has declined substantially in recent years. Celina Meadows, the Arizona state manager for Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice, released the following statement: “Governor Hobbs' $19 million grant to victim services is a critical infusion of support that shows how Arizona can continue to prioritize victims' needs to improve safety. Thanks to this grant, Arizona crime victims can now rest assured that grant funding for victim services has some of the stability needed to end cycles of trauma, keep survivors safe, and help communities heal. These programs and services will now be able to lift up and strengthen even more individuals and families as they recover from violence – working alongside victim compensation and other trauma recovery services to improve safety in our state. We thank Governor Hobbs for her continued support for victims and we stand with the administration to make Arizona safer for all.” About the Alliance for Safety and Justice The Alliance for Safety and Justice is a national organization that aims to win evidence-based new safety priorities in states across the country. It also brings together diverse crime survivors to advance policies that help communities most harmed by crime and violence, as part of Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice – its national network of over 100,000 crime survivors with close to 3,000 members in Arizona. For more information, visit: https://allianceforsafetyandjustice.org or https://cssj.org.

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