Victim Services Program

Victim Services

The EHNBAC provides direct intervention to individuals and families who are victims/witnesses of violent crimes in New York City. We turn no one away and we are not restricted to specific catchment areas. Our culturally-competent services utilize a trauma-informed approach to service delivery, thereby helping our clients feel safe. These evidence-based models have proven to be effective when serving the underserved victims of crime. Our approach is founded on the experience learned from providing services to victims since 1993.

We immediately address our participants’ immediate crisis through intensive case management and work to help prevent re-victimization. In efforts to alleviate the economic implications of victimization, the EHNBAC assists in the resolution of monetary compensation by the filling out of the New York State Office of Victim Services (OVS) Compensation Claim Forms. The EHNBAC assists in the resolution of cases involved in the criminal justice system by accompanying its participants to precincts, Family and Criminal Courts and the District Attorney’s Office.

We also provide benefits access support, transportation to safe housing and domestic violence shelters, hospital visits, and make managed referrals to other resources and services such as group and individual counseling to restore self-esteem and a sense of dignity and coping mechanisms, food pantries, and clothing or diapers when needed. We collaborate networks of specialized organizations to secure rental assistance, legal services, free health services, job training, and a network of affordable housing development corporations to ensure access to low-income housing.

Outcomes

Since inception in 1993, EHNBAC has provided immediate help to over 4,000 crime victims throughout New York City, with over 1,600 successfully securing monetary compensation from OVS or other sources. Through mediation sessions with landlords, Housing Court advocacy, emergency assistance, entitlement advocacy, income maximization, crime victim advocacy and financial literacy over 2,000 individuals and families have stabilized and improved their living conditions. Its expertise in navigating public assistance and other public benefits systems and long-term relationships with such providers have contributed to the EHNBAC’s ability to assist its clients. We worked with our partner agencies to provide information on available resources/supports for victims, and information that promotes domestic violence awareness.