U.S. Department of Justice: Hospital-Based Victim Services

The Hospital-Based Victim Services program will support evidence-based models, practices, and policies that improve partnerships between the victim services field and hospitals and other medical facilities to increase support for crime victims. The aim of these partnerships is to provide comprehensive, coordinated, trauma-informed services and support that address the full range of victim needs. Awards will be made through the following purpose areas:

Purpose Area 1 (Demonstration Projects): The program will fund demonstration sites to implement or expand hospital-based/affiliated programs to support crime victims using evidence-based models and practices with victim-centered approaches. Participating demonstration sites will develop extensive plans to provide comprehensive, victim-centered services that aid in the survivor’s physical and emotional recovery. The applicant may choose to serve all victims or identify a specific population to serve (e.g., youth, adults, older adults). Applicants may also focus their efforts on assisting victims of specific types of victimization, such as stabbings, shootings, assaults, or human trafficking. Potential sites are encouraged to consider using hospital-based/affiliated services and other related approaches to support multiple types of victimization in their proposed projects. All services provided as part of this program must: respect the decision-making independence of crime victims; support victim self-sufficiency; and promote victims’ feelings of increased safety and well-being.

Successful applicants will offer an array of services to meet victim needs, including immediate supports such as safety planning, crisis intervention, referrals to community-based victim services (including crime victim compensation) and social services, victim advocacy, emotional support, grief counseling, and psycho-education on the effects of trauma on victims and their families. Collaborations with victim-serving organizations will be an important element of this model, as programs should also incorporate plans to follow up with discharged victims and their families to assist with their long-term recovery.

Successful applicants will include one or more hospitals or medical facilities within the area, departments of health, or relevant victim-serving organizations to implement a model most appropriate in that jurisdiction and most capable of filling an unmet need. Applicants will be required to collaborate with a local research partner to support their work on the project and the local evaluation of the project. Priority will be given to projects engaged in research-practitioner partnerships that launch a rigorous evaluation component to contribute to filling gaps in knowledge and bridge-building across these fields.

Purpose Area 2 (Technical Assistance Projects): One organization will be selected to provide comprehensive Technical Assistance (TA) to the demonstration sites and develop TA tools and resources to support the initiative.

Amount:

• Purpose Area (Demonstration Projects): Up to eight awards of up to $950,000 each will be made (which includes $100,000 each year to support the local research partner who will assist with the local evaluation of the project). The project period is 24 months.
• Purpose Area 2 (Technical Assistance Projects): One award of up to $2,000,000 will be made for a 24-month project period.

Eligibility: Dependent on priority area, as follows:

• Purpose Area 1 (Demonstration Projects): State and local agencies; federally recognized tribal governments; nonprofit organizations (including tribal nonprofit organizations); faith-based and community-based organizations that serve crime victims; and colleges or universities (including tribal institutions of higher education) that demonstrate an understanding of the area of victimization and support services described in the solicitation. Applicants must have the staff resources and capacity to develop or enhance programs proposed to address the area of victimization and/or services described in this solicitation.
• Purpose Area 2 (Technical Assistance Project): Nonprofit organizations; colleges and universities; or public agencies (including tribal nonprofit organizations and tribal institutions of higher education). Applicants must have: (1) demonstrated experience and understanding of the range of crime victims’ needs; (2) the ability to forge partnerships to represent that range of assistance; and (3) the staff resources and capacity to provide technical assistance support to a wide range of victim-serving organizations and stakeholders necessary to the project.

Link: https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=305776

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