Victim Services

Safe Shores—The DC Children’s Advocacy Center (DCCAC) offers a variety of resources to support child and adolescent victims in crisis. Be it food from the Meal Fund, outfits from the Clothing Closet, or a new car booster seat for a toddler through the Emergency Victims Crisis Fund, the purpose of the Victim Services/Assistance Program is to ensure that the immediate basic needs of child victims and their families are met. Disbursement of emergency funds from any of our programs is at the discretion of the DCCAC. Awards are made according to need and resource availability. Our goal is not to duplicate the services that are already in place, but rather, to fill the gaps that may arise from an overwhelmed system. Only child victims already involved in the social service system who have been referred to the DCCAC by a Team Member Agency are eligible to utilize the DCCAC’s Victim Services Program.

The Victim Services Programs at the DCCAC include:

• The Clothes Closet
• The Meal Fund
• The Emergency Child & Adolescent Victim Crisis Fund (EVCF)

Clothes Closet

Safe Shores’ Clothes Closet, known as “The Beach House,” is stocked with new and gently used apparel for children ages newborn to 18 years. Clothing as well as grooming products and toiletries, are available for child and adolescent victims who have been referred to the DCCAC. A child victim made need clothing for any number of reasons: maybe because his/her clothes are taken for evidentiary purposes, a child is moved into foster care or third party placement due to imminent abuse or neglect and has only the clothes s/he is wearing, or a child comes to Safe Shores dressed in inappropriately sized or non-seasonal clothing. The DCCAC Clothes Closet offers emergency clothing to child and adolescent victims of abuse, at no cost to them or their families.

Staff members from any of the following MDT agencies may refer children and adolescents to the closet: Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia (OAG), Child and Family Services Agency (CFSA), United States Attorney’s Office (USAO), and Children’s National Medical Center (CNMC). An agency representative should accompany the victim to the Center after notifying DCCAC staff in advance by phone of specific information about the victim’s sizes and particular needs. A child is only eligible to receive clothing from the Clothes Closet if they have already been seen at the Center or if they have an appointment scheduled to be seen at the Center.

Meal Fund

The Meal Fund Program provides food to child and adolescent victims who come to the Center for interviews, therapy sessions or to await court proceedings. The Meal Fund covers the cost of providing food on site for child victims. The Fund also reimburses Team members who purchase a meal for any child victim being seen at the Center. If a Team member needs to provide a meal for a victim and would like to be reimbursed, please submit a request in writing along with the original receipt and the victim’s name to the Victim Services Coordinator. Please note that reimbursement requests may not exceed $5.00 per victim. Any Team Member from the following agencies may access the DCCAC meal fund: MPD, OAG, USAO, CFSA and CNMC.

Emergency Child & Adolescent Victim Crisis Fund (EVCF)

Modest financial assistance is available to child victims and their families in emergency situations to provide immediate relief for urgent needs. In the past, requests have included coverage for transportation costs, school uniforms and supplies, infant/toddler car seats, summer camp fees, cribs and beds, nebulizers, and other needs specific to child victims. Any Team member from the following agencies may submit a request for EVCF funds: MPD, OAG, CFSA, USAO and CNMC.

For additional information on the Victim Services Program, please contact the Victim Services Coordinator at (202) 638-2575 x 112.

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