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.