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Support Victims of Crime in the District of Columbia
  1. Signatures
    197 out of 500
    Petitioning
    1. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson (+ 22 others)
      Petitioning
      close
      • Rep. Jo Ann Emerson (MO-08)
      • Rep. Jose Serrano (NY-16)
      • Rep. Mark Kirk (IL-10)
      • Sen. Lamar Alexander (TN)
      • Sen. Frank Lautenberg (NJ)
      • Rep. John Culberson (TX-07)
      • Rep. Adam Schiff (CA-29)
      • Rep. Ander Crenshaw (FL-04)
      • Sen. Ben Nelson (NE)
      • Rep. Ted Poe (TX-02)
      • Rep. Chet Edwards (TX-17)
      • Sen. Richard Durbin (IL)
      • Sen. Mary Landrieu (LA)
      • Sen. Susan Collins (ME)
      • Sen. Kit Bond (MO)
      • Sen. Jon Tester (MT)
      • Rep. Chaka Fattah (PA-02)
      • Rep. Barbara Lee (CA-09)
      • Rep. Jim Costa (CA-20)
      • Rep. Rosa DeLauro (CT-03)
      • Rep. Eleanor Norton (DC-01)
      • Rep. Allen Boyd (FL-02)
      • Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-20)
  2. Created By
    DISTRICT ALLIANCE FOR SAFE HOUSING
About this Petition Petition Letter
Why This Is Important

DASH is one of nearly 2,000 concerned individuals, crime victims, and local and national organizations from around the country that have already voiced their support to ensure  victims of violent crime in the District of Columbia receive the counseling, family supports, legal assistance, shelter and other support services they need.

Please let your voice be heard, too! Take action and sign the petition to be part of the DC Victims Services Initiative to ask the federal government to restore control of Crime Victims Compensation Funds to the District government in FY2011.

THE PROBLEM:  Since 2006, there has been a drastic reduction in available Crime Victims Compensation funds that the city relies on to support critical victim services. Victims are bearing the consequences. If we do not act to bring about changes now, things will get far worse.

The reductions in Crime Victims Compensation funds to support services are NOT due to budget cuts or the tough economy. In fact, while Crime Victims Compensation Fund expenditures have grown by 20% in the past four years, from $8 million to $10 million, the funds made available for local services dropped 55% from 2006 to 2009.

In 2009, the D.C. Crime Victims Compensation Fund provided funds that paid for services to nearly 7,000 victims in D.C. If funding continues to plummet as it has in recent years, only 400 victims will be served with these funds in 2012.

Continued funding decreases will decimate services to people who experience domestic violence, sexual assault, child victimization, teen victimization, robbery, and homicide in the District. Services like counseling, case management, legal representation, safe housing and shelter, will disappear.


Worse than loss of services, organizations will be forced to shut down, and the end result will be a tragic loss of support for those who are in the most need.  Some may even lose their lives in the absence of critically needed victim services.

 

THE SOLUTION: 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. The federal government should restore control of Crime Victims Compensation Funds to the District in FY2011. This will allow the District to restore service cuts and ensure victims have services well into the future.

 

Recent Signatures

The Time Is Now: Restore D.C. Government Control of Crime Victims Compensation Funds

Dear Member of Congress:

I am deeply concerned that victims of crime in the District of Columbia are bearing the consequences of a broken system that does not provide adequate funding for their most urgent needs.

Over the past five years, there has been a drastic reduction in available crime victims compensation funds, currently under federal control, that the city relies on to support critical victim services. If reductions continue as they have, there will be a 60% to 90% decrease in funding available to D.C. victim service organizations by Fiscal Year 2012.

The reductions in Crime Victims Compensation funds to support services are NOT due to budget cuts or the tough economy. In fact, while expenditures by the federally-controlled Crime Victims Compensation Fund have grown by 20% in the past four years, from $8 million to $10 million, the funds made available for local services dropped 55% from 2006 to 2009.

In 2009, the D.C. Crime Victims Compensation Fund provided funds that paid for services to nearly 7,000 victims in D.C. If funding continues to plummet as it has in recent years, only 400 victims will be served with these funds in 2012.

The funding decrease will decimate services to people who experience domestic violence, sexual assault, child victimization, teen victimization, robbery, and homicide in the District. Services like counseling, case management, legal representation, safe housing and shelter, will disappear.

Worse than loss of services, organizations will be forced to shut down, and the end result will be a tragic loss of support for those who are in the most need. Some may even lose their lives in the absence of critically needed victim services.

I urge you to ensure that the District has parity with every other jurisdiction in the country by restoring control of Crime Victim Compensation Funds to the District of Columbia. This will allow the District government to restore victim service cuts and ensure victims of crime have services well into the future.

Please take immediate action to ensure that the District gains oversight of this funding in FY2011.

Thank you for your support!

[Your name]