| CHARLESTON, WV — Gov. Jim Justice announced today the distribution of $5.38 million in grant awards for projects throughout West Virginia. The West Virginia Child Advocacy Center (CAC) Grant program awarded $2,118,688 to 22 projects addressing child abuse and neglect. The West Virginia National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP) awarded $2,465,660 to two organizations to improve the timeliness of criminal history checks. Additionally, the Civil Legal Services Grant awarded $800,000 to one organization to support civil legal services for low-income individuals. These funds are administered by the Justice and Community Services (JCS) Section of the West Virginia Division of Administrative Services (DAS). Funding breakdowns for the grant announcements can be found below.The West Virginia Child Advocacy Center (CAC) Grant program will distribute funds to local non-profit CACs throughout the state to address the problem of child abuse and neglect. Funding awards are focused on a multidisciplinary response to the investigation, treatment, and prosecution of child abuse cases, providing services such as advocacy, education, forensic interviews, evaluations, and referrals. Funding breakdown is as follows: Burlington United Methodist Family Services — $100,930.00 Funds will be utilized to provide intake, investigation, and follow-up services for victims of child abuse, ages 3-17, in both Hampshire and Mineral Counties. Cabell Huntington Hospital — $94,564.00 Funds will be utilized for services such as forensic interviewing, advocacy, and mental health for all children subject to any type of abuse in Cabell County. CAMC Health Education & Research Institute — $110,054.00 Funds will be utilized to continue funding for the CAMC Women and Children’s Child Advocacy Center, which provides forensic interviews, medical evaluations, advocacy, and therapy for children and families who have been victims of abuse. Change, Inc. — $90,002.00 Funds will be utilized to provide and coordinate child-centered, site-based services to victims of child abuse and their families in Brooke and Hancock Counties. Child & Youth Advocacy Center — $98,241.00 Funds will be utilized to enable the program to provide forensic interviews, advocacy, and therapy to child victims of abuse and neglect, as well as the support necessary for a multidisciplinary team approach to the investigation, prosecution, treatment, and prevention of abuse and neglect. Child Protect of Mercer County — $83,540.00 Funds will be utilized to strengthen Mercer County’s Child Advocacy Center by enabling the program to maintain current staff who will continue to provide direct services to child victims and their non-offending family members. Children’s Home Society of West Virginia — $108,565.00 Funds will be utilized to provide culturally competent, child-focused, and developmentally appropriate services on-site, including forensic interviewing, mental health, initial and ongoing advocacy, and case coordination to children and their families. Cornerstone Family Interventions, Inc. — $85,440.00 Funds will be utilized to deepen direct services to victims of crime who require Child Advocacy Center services in Boone and Lincoln Counties. Harmony House, Inc. — $94,948.00 Funds will be utilized to ensure a comprehensive, child-friendly, site-based, culturally competent, multidisciplinary team response to allegations of child abuse using the Children’s Advocacy Center (CAC) model. Harrison County Child Abuse Task Force — $121,702.00 Funds will be utilized to provide a physically and psychologically safe, child-friendly environment dedicated to providing a comprehensive, culturally competent, multidisciplinary response to allegations of child sexual abuse, sexual assault, severe physical abuse and neglect, witness to violence, and drug endangerment. Just for Kids, Inc. — $94,996.00 Funds will be utilized to serve children who have been affected by sexual and other criminal abuse and their non-offending family members. Logan County Child Advocacy Center — $89,378.00 Funds will be utilized to provide core services to child victims of abuse and neglect and their non-offending family members in Logan and Mingo Counties. Marion County Child Advocacy Center — $80,131.00 Funds will be utilized for the provision of forensic interviews, victim advocacy, case coordination, and community outreach for child victims of sexual and/or physical abuse. Monongalia County Child Advocacy Center — $79,795.00 Funds will be utilized to provide center-based services to child abuse victims, including forensic interviews and evaluations, advocacy, education, referrals, and therapy. Mountain CAP of West Virginia — $86,257.00 Funds will be utilized to provide forensic interviewing, advocacy, education, trauma-informed case management and therapy, and supportive services to physically and sexually abused children in a child-friendly environment. Nicholas County Family Resource Network — $91,107.00 Funds will be utilized to provide the Nicholas and Webster Counties multidisciplinary investigative team a child friendly environment for children who have been sexually and/or physically abused. North Star Child Advocacy Center — $139,064.00 Funds will be utilized to provide a child-friendly, safe, neutral environment where law enforcement and child protective service workers can observe forensic interviews with children who are alleged victims of abuse. Randolph Tucker Children’s Advocacy Center — $89,330.00 Funds will be utilized to support a child-centered team response to child victimization, which includes forensic interviews, medical, mental health, and advocacy services for children and their non-offending caregivers. REACHH Family Resource Center — $73,888.00 Funds will be utilized to provide child victims of physical abuse, sexual abuse, negligence, domestic, and their non-offending family members with counseling, case management, forensic interviewing, and advocacy. Stop the Hurt, Inc. — $88,898.00 Funds will be utilized to provide direct services to victims of child abuse and/or neglect and to enhance and strengthen the multidisciplinary team’s approach to investigating and prosecuting offenders. West Virginia Child Abuse Network, Inc. — $132,418.00 Funds will be utilized to connect victims of abuse to services so they can experience hope, healing, and justice, and simultaneously activate adults to better respond to allegations of abuse. Through public awareness activities and providing quality technical assistance and training, WVCAN will work to empower CACs to better respond to the needs of all abused children in West Virginia. Wetzel County Commission — $85,440.00 Funds will be utilized to reduce the traumatic effects of child abuse, protect children from maltreatment, see justice for child victims, investigate abuse as a team, and strengthen the community’s ability to nurture children.The West Virginia National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP) grant funds will be used to provide accurate, complete, and timely dispositions that are immediately accessible by completing and using the WV Charge Codes Database. Funding breakdown is as follows: Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia — $802,860.00 Funds will be utilized to provide accurate, complete, and timely dispositions that are immediately accessible by completing and using the WV Charge Codes Database. Completing this project will allow law enforcement and court record-keeping systems to exchange information and make this information available upon criminal history background checks. West Virginia State Police — $1,662,800.00 Funds will be utilized to improve the accuracy, utility, and interstate accessibility of criminal history records and enhance records of protective orders, automated identification systems, and other state systems supporting national records systems.The Civil Legal Services grant funds will be utilized to support the provision of civil legal services, including intake, information, legal advice, brief services, full representation, and/or referral, for low-income individuals throughout the state. Funding breakdown is as follows: Legal Aid of West Virginia, Inc. — $800,000.00 Funds will be utilized to support intake, information, legal advice, brief services, full representation, or referral for low-income individuals throughout the state. |
