16 Mar NCHS Children’s Advocacy Center Received Grant to Provide Therapy and Other Services
The VOCA grant has allowed NCHS to hire Alethia Lawrence (left) as Victim Advocate and Chakatria Johnson (right) as Therapist / Victim Advocate. They provide counseling, follow up with abused children served by the Children’s Advocacy Center, coordinate needed assistance from other resources, and help victims file for Victims of Crime compensation.
The NCHS Children’s Advocacy Center (CAC) has been awarded a one-year grant to provide therapy and other services for victims of child abuse and neglect served by the CAC.
The total project will cost $65,000, of which the grant will pay $49,000 or 75%. Natchez Children’s Home Services must raise the remainder of the costs of this significant project.
Abused and neglected children often do not have access to the means necessary to obtain counseling and other help they may desperately need. Now, the CAC can provide therapy directly, prepare a child emotionally to testify in court, and work with social service agencies to ensure all the child’s needs are met.
The grant funds come from the Crime Victims Fund established by the federal Victims of Crime Act of 1984 (VOCA), administered in Mississippi by the Department of Public Safety.
Each year, millions of dollars are deposited into this Fund from criminal fines, forfeited bail bonds, penalty fees, and special assessments collected by U.S. Attorney’s Offices, U.S. Courts, and the Bureau of Prisons. These dollars come from offenders convicted of federal crimes, not from taxpayers.