Together, We Can Make a Difference

The DC Victim Services Initiative (DC VSI) is a collaborative effort of more than 50 local and national organizations, joined by nearly 2,000 concerned individuals and crime victims, united to ensure that victims of violent crime in the District of Columbia receive the counseling, family supports, legal assistance, shelter and other support services they need.

We believe that the District of Columbia government should control Crime Victims Compensation Funds just like every state in our nation, to use the funding for individual crime victims and for critical victim services. This will allow the District to restore service cuts, and ensure victims have services well into the future.

Our goal is to restore control of Crime Victims Compensation funds to the District government in FY 2011.

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Thursday, April 8, 2010

Crime Victims' Rights: Fairness. Dignity. Respect. Funding.

In the coming days, communities throughout the nation will rally to honor and support victims of crime in observance of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week (April 18th to 24th). In every community, including the District, there will be vigils, unity gatherings, and community fairs that trumpet a national theme of “Crime Victims' Rights: Fairness. Dignity. Respect.” 

Our DC Victim Services Initiative will be asking for these rights and more when 20 organizations and victims who support the Initiative plan to address the D.C. Council at the Office of Victim Services Budget Oversight Hearing on April 14.  Just four days before the launch of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, we will call on lawmakers to urge the federal government to establish a new tradition of giving District crime victims the fairness, dignity, respect—and funding—they rightfully deserve.

More details and a full press release to follow—stay tuned!

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