Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele, Jr. (I, D, WF-Sag Harbor) today congratulated The Retreat and Brighter Tomorrows on grants they received from New York State. These organizations are two of 179 community-based organizations, hospitals and law enforcement and government agencies across New York State that will be awarded nearly $36.2 million in grants, administered by the Office of Victim Services (OVS), to fund programs that will provide direct services to crime victims.

The Retreat in was awarded $135,393 to help continue to provide safety, shelter and support for victims of domestic abuse and to break the cycle of family violence.

Brighter Tomorrows will receive $64,331 to assist victims of domestic violence and their children by providing shelter and supportive services along with information and referrals to ensure the clients' safety.

The 179 providers, which include non-profit, community-based organizations, government and law enforcement agencies and hospitals, will execute three-year contracts with OVS, with the option for one, two-year extension. The nearly $36.2 million will fund the first year of those contracts; it is expected that approximately the same amount of federal and State funding will be available annually for the duration of those contracts.

Approximately 95 percent of the nearly $36.2 million available comes from the federal Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) Victim and Witness Assistance Grant Program and the State’s Criminal Justice Improvement Account, both of which are funded by fines, fees and surcharges that are paid by certain offenders convicted in federal or State courts. State funds comprise the remaining 5 percent. The federal VOCA program required that 40 percent of the $36.2 million fund programs that serve the following priority groups: victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse, and victims of any other type of crime.

When applying for funding, providers were asked to identify services that responded to the immediate needs of victims in the aftermath of crime and addressed gaps in services. These grants will fund personnel, such as crime victims’ advocates who help men, women, children and their families apply for financial compensation from OVS and assist them as their cases are handled by the criminal justice system, and services, including legal assistance, crisis counseling and emergency housing. Last year, crime victims’ assistance programs funded by OVS served nearly 256,000 people Statewide.

Funding for crime victims’ compensation and the cost of the agency’s day-to-day operations also comes entirely from the fines, mandatory surcharges and crime victim assistance fees paid by offenders, not taxpayer dollars. For more information about services offered by OVS, including eligibility guidelines and a list of crime victims’ assistance programs that currently receive funding, visit www.ovs.ny.gov or call 1-800-247-8035.