Upcoming events, webinars, and news from the field
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mnallianceoncrime.org
In this issue:
Letter from the Executive Director
News from the Field
Upcoming Trainings
Job Postings and Funding Opportunities
Happy Spring!
Spring is a season of change, most of the changes we wholeheartedly welcome as they bring more warmth and beauty. MAC is in a season of beautiful change.
Member programs, MAC staff, and the MAC board of directors are all working diligently to implement year one activities of our newly developed three-year strategic plan, that prioritizes centering equity. After over a year of planning, we are embracing the opportunity to implement the strategic priorities that were identified. A big thank you to Naaima Khan with Create Good that guided us through the development process and continues to work with MAC during this first year of implementation.
MAC is also experiencing a change in our small but mighty staff team. After 5+ years serving as MAC’s Director of Operations, Amee Krogfus is embarking on a new professional adventure. "The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance." — Alan Watts. I have leaned into this philosophy about change many times in my professional life, this change has hit differently. Being a small staff certainly has pros and cons, but one of the biggest pros is that you build incredible trust and respect for and with your teammates. I have watched Amee grow, in every way, over the past 5+ years and am excited to watch her continue to grow and have an incredible impact as she enters her next professional chapter.
There is also change occurring at the legislature. The great news—Governor Walz included $10 million for crime victim services funding in his supplemental budget released last week! The problem—we need our legislative leaders to prioritize crime victim services funding in their budget discussions. The ask—we need you to call or email Senate and House Leadership and your area representatives NOW and ask them to ensure AT LEAST $10 million for crime victim services in 2025.
Here are links to contact information for legislative leaders and to a phone/email script you can use when contacting them.
The $10 million the Governor is requesting in only for FY2025, meaning it is one-time funding. While the coalitions will continue to advocate for a more robust and sustaining increase next session, we welcome any funds that are critically needed by crime victim service programs, right now.
As always, thank you for all you do support crime victims throughout Minnesota.
The Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) is pleased to announce the availability of Professional Development Scholarships to those who work with victims of crime. The program provides up to $1,500 for individuals, $2,500 for individuals whose participation in the event requires traveling to or from the contiguous United States, and up to $7,500 for multidisciplinary teams of victim service professionals seeking education opportunities. Click here for more information.
April is 2024 Sexual Assault Awareness Month, with the theme “Building Connected Communities.” The National Sexual Violence Resource Center has this SAAM website, full of great resources and inspiration!
The Footprint – Tracking the Size of America’s Justice System, published by the Council on Criminal Justice. The first section features a high-level overview of crime, arrest and incarceration trends in recent decades; and the following sections break down these trends by age, crime type, race and gender.
March 2024 marks the 4th anniversary of the launch of the National Elder Fraud Hotline. The hotline has received more than 120,000 calls since 2020 from people aged 60 or older who are victims of financial fraud or scams. Trained advocates are standing by to help callers report these crimes. The hotline number is 1-833-FRAUD-11 (372-8311), or you can visit the website.
OVC TTAC has a range of resources to help victim service providers accommodate all victims of crime. You can learn how to help remove barriers that people with disabilities, including developmental disabilities, often face when trying to access services.
The National Sexual Violence Resource Center’s Language Access Toolkit is “designed to showcase the connection between language access, sexual assault, and other forms of harm, provide state-specific information on linguistic demographics, and provide resources for increasing accessibility for all. Title IV of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 requires that all agencies that receive federal funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services must take adequate steps to ensure that people with limited English proficiency (LEP) receive the language assistance necessary to allow them meaningful access to services, free of charge."
National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN): “Human Trafficking 101: Deaf Community Members & Service Providers (in ASL) discusses what human trafficking is, signs a person might be experiencing trafficking, what to do when you think someone is being trafficked, and more. This video is a Partner-In Resource with Gallaudet University.”
The Office for Juvenile Justice Delinquency and Prevention offers three Model Programs Guides:
The National Domestic Violence Hotline is conducting a survey to learn about survivor experiences with firearms and gender-based violence. Please share this important survey with any clients to whom it is relevant.
The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) and OVC are pleased to announce the release of a series of infographics using data from the 2019 National Survey of Victim Service Providers. This survey collects data from a nationally representative sample of programs and organizations that served victims of crime or abuse.
Legislative Updates
The Hennepin County Attorney's Office has started a video series highlighting bills in the state legislature that they are supporting. Starting with the coalitions $20 million dollar CVS funding request. The series is called No Fear or Favor, you can access it on YouTube.
MAC has created a new Public Policy page on our website that lists all the bills we are supporting as well as links to recordings of relevant committee hearings. Click here to access the page.
The Biden Administration is requesting a cap on Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) obligations of $1.5 billion, which is an 11 percent increase over the FY 2024 recently enacted spending bill. The proposal would also provide five percent of the cap to fund Tribal victim assistance programs, and would reduce the amount going to the DOJ Inspector General from $10 million to $5 million. The proposal would not transfer any amounts from the Crime Victims Fund to the Office on Violence Against Women. The budget proposal also includes significant reforms to the Crime Victims Fund, that are intended to address the long-term instability of the Crime Victims Fund.
See you next week!
Action Day at the capitol is Wednesday, April 3rd, 2024. Please join us in-person to pack the rotunda and make our voices heard.
Have clients who have expressed interest in talking to lawmakers or getting involved in activism? Invite them to Action Day!
The rally starts at 2pm, and goes until 3pm. All statewide coalitions will be there with tables and resources, as well as VFMN's Clothesline Project.
Harris Court of Appeals Decision
Virtual Roundtable Discussion
Wednesday, April 10th, 2024
11:30am-1pm CT
A recent court case in Minnesota has advocates asking, which conversations between victims and victim service professionals are considered material and discoverable? What should we be turning over to the prosecution, and thus the defense? Does this ruling change how we approach our interactions with victims?
Join attorneys Rana Alexander of Standpoint and Alicia Aiken of the Confidentiality Institute to discuss what this ruling could mean for your work. This is a roundtable discussion, intended to be a conversation between the attorneys and the attendees about what this ruling means legally, what policies your agency has in place regarding turning over notes from conversations, and any other questions you have about the implications of this ruling. Please submit any questions you have for the attorneys!
This discussion is free for all to attend. The discussion will be recorded and the recording will be made available exclusively for MAC members.
Exploring the Intersections Between Substance Use, Domestic Violence, & Other Crimes
Free Webinar
April 11th, 2024
12pm-1:30pm CT
Substance use coercion and problematic substance use are common challenges faced by victims of domestic violence. Victims may also be involved in other crimes as a result of substance use coercion and/or domestic violence. But crime victim service providers are often not equipped to address substance use and vice versa. As an organization with both domestic violence and substance use disorder programs, Missions Inc. Programs is in a unique position to address the intersection of these issues for the people we serve. During this presentation, staff working in both areas will share data and anecdotal experience to illustrate how providers across fields can better address these intertwined issues for clients.
Presenters: Veronica Hardaway, Missions Inc.’s Hart House Program Manager; Elsa Swenson, Missions Inc.’s Home Free Community Program Manager; Sarah Busch, Community Engagement & Outreach Manager at Missions Inc. Programs
This webinar is free for all to attend. The webinar will be recorded and the recording will be made available exclusively for MAC members.
NOVA’s 50th Annual Training Event: Registration is now open for NOVA’s 50th Annual Training Event. The conference will be held in Washington D.C. from July 29th – August 1st, 2024. MAC staff member Becca Muskat and MAC board member Maddie Haeg will be presenting a session on July 30th!
EmpowerHER: Black Women's Leadership Training, an empowering and transformative experience designed to cultivate leadership excellence among Black women. May 1-2, 9am-4pm EST. Early bird discount: $250. Click here to register.
Save the date: Mending the Sacred Hoop in partnership with the Office of Justice Programs, is offering a day and a half Transformative Adaptation Institute. Two dates and locations to choose from: May 1st and 2nd in Cass Lake, MN or May 7th and 8th in Welch, MN. Registration coming soon.
The National Mass Violence Center has new short form webinars on topics such as: How to Identify an Experienced Trauma-focused Therapist and Helping Children and Teens Manage Trauma and Grief Following an MVI. You can access those here.
Early bird registration for the 2024 National Center for Victims of Crime, National Training Institute is OPEN! This year's conference will be September 18-20 at Hilton Portland Downtown. The full agenda will be finalized soon, but you can expect more than 80 must-see presentations about a wide variety of topics, including criminal justice, domestic violence, financial crime, human trafficking, mass violence, and much more. The National Training Institute is the place for victim advocates and allied professionals to share promising practices, current research, and effective programs. For more information and to register, visit the NCVC website here.
Friday, April 19, 2:00 pm EST, “Ask a Researcher: School Victimization.” Professor Jillian Turanovic will answer your questions about school victimization, such as those related to who is at risk, prevention of victimization, areas of harm, evidence around victim responses, or similar questions.Ask your question and register.
Healing Justice is hosting a webinar for Crime Victims' Rights Week on Tuesday, April 23rd at 12pm. No need to register, just click here to join.
Healing Justice is holding a community event on Saturday, April 27th at Mitchell Hamline Auditorium. The event will be to discuss significant changes to post-conviction sentences and proseuctor-initiated resentencing efforts across the state.Speakers include: Jennifer Thompson, Keith Ellison, John Choi, and Hillary Blout.
Part 1 at 10am: Community members are invited to hear from crime survivors, prosecutors and other leaders about sentence review and protection of victims’ rights. Part 2 at 12pm: Crime survivors and their families are invited to receive information from advocates and other survivors about their rights, safety planning and services.
The Minnesota Office of Justice Programs is hiring for multiple grant manager positions. To see the full postings and to apply, go to the Minnesota Careers Website, click on “Search Open Positions” and search for Job ID 74592. This posting will close April 8, 2024.
The Bush Prize: Minnesotacelebrates organizations that are highly valued within their communities and have a track record of successful community problem solving. Bush Prize grants can be used to build up reserves, test that next big idea, or whatever else would best support the organization's ongoing good work. The grant amounts are up to 25 percent of an organization’s most recent fiscal year expenses, with a maximum of $500,000. Bush Prize: Minnesota will open on April 1, 2024.
Each year, the Smart Family Fund make several grants ranging from $25,000 to $100,000. When it finds an organization that is making significant advances, it works with them to grow their programs and get them ready for more significant funders who can support them through the growth phase.
Capacity Building Competitive Grants: The Office of Adult Career Pathways, an office within the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, is soliciting applications for funding Capacity Building to eligible Minnesota community-based organizations to increase their capacity to provide workforce services and related training to historically underserved communities of color or low-income communities. Please click here for full RFP and here for Application Packet.
Diversity and Inclusion for Small Employers: The Office of Adult Career Pathways, an office within the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, is soliciting applications for funding Diversity and Inclusion training to eligible Minnesota small businesses to increase their ability to engage, hire, and retain people of color in a variety of roles. Please click here for full RFP and here for Application Packet.
The National Center for Victims of Crime's new Peer-to-Peer Program will establish new and enhance existing peer-support programs for victims of all types of crime, including those in historically underserved communities. The National Center for Victims of Crime is looking for 10 organizations to help get this program up and running. They are seeking organizations that can facilitate independent, peer-run programs, mutual support groups, mentoring programs, or peer-to-peer support within community-based groups. Applicants that are selected will receive grant funding of $50,000-$100,000 for two years — along with support to build or expand peer-support initiatives for survivors. Accepting proposals through May 31.
MAC is a membership coalition of more than 90 crime victim service providers in Minnesota, including prosecution-based victim/witness programs, community programs, law enforcement agencies, and individuals committed to supporting crime victims. We support our membership through training, technical assistance, resources, public policy and legislative initiatives, and networking opportunities.
To join our coalition of Minnesota crime victim service programs, click here.
Want to share something in next month's newsletter? Email Becca!
The Minnesota Alliance on Crime advances a collective movement to eliminate the systemic barriers experienced by people impacted by crime.
VISION
The Minnesota Alliance on Crime envisions a world where people impacted by crime, particularly those who are historically marginalized, can heal, achieve justice, and restore balance to their lives.
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