Discussion and possible action to authorize the acceptance of a Victim Coordinator and Liaison Grant (VCLG) award in the amount of $42,000 from the Office of the Texas Attorney General (OAG) as developed, coordinated, written, and submitted by the Webb County Sheriff’s Office for the salary and fringe benefits of a crime victim advocate as well as to post and fill the grant-funded position of a Crime Victim Advocate at the pay rate set by the general order, subject to the availability of funds and any applicable civil service guidelines; and authorizing the Webb County Judge to execute all relevant documents; and any other matters incident thereto. This grant does not require a match; and, thus, there will be no impact to the general fund. All required documents were sent to the Economic Development Department and were found in compliance with the Single Point of Contact (SPOC) policy. [Requested by Martin Cuellar, Webb County Sheriff; Grant Account #2713]
Issue: Victims of violent crime suffer significant financial duress, emotional trauma, and physical injuries. While the State of Texas has set up a system to compensate these victims for their expenses and financial losses due to death, disabling injuries, and emotional trauma utilizing collected court costs from convicted offenders, the victims often must navigate the complex state compensation system and extensively document their benefit eligibility while still under emotional and physical distress.
Solution: The Webb County Sheriff’s Office grant funded Crime Victim Advocate will offer critical support, facilitate/expedite filling out detailed paperwork, provide needed guidance through the bureaucratic process, and deliver outreach/education to the local community.
Result: Victims of violent crime in Webb County, including victims from special populations, such as children, youth, rural, colonia, monolingual, and elderly populations, will be provided with direct victim services, training, and outreach/education. |