Congresswoman Hirono Announces $2.6 Million in Federal Funding
to Aid Victims of Crime in Hawai’i
HONOLULU, HI.—Congresswoman Mazie K. Hirono (D- Hawai`i) today announced $2,633,257 in U.S. Department of Justice grants for Hawai`i programs aimed at assisting victims of crimes, as well as improving the criminal justice system’s response to violent crimes against women.
$1,693,000 in federal funds will be used at the state and county levels to assist victims of crimes, which include domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse, and elder abuse. That assistance may come in the form of crisis intervention, emergency shelter, counseling, information and referrals, and advocacy in the criminal justice system. The funding will also go toward programs that aid survivors of homicide victims. Sub-grants support both government and non-profit service providers. This grant is awarded out of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Victims of Crime Act Crime Victims Fund, which acquires its funding from fines against people convicted of federal offenses.
$940,257 in federal funds will go toward assisting adult female victims of domestic violence and sex assault. The funding will be utilized in a multidisciplinary approach to addressing violent crimes against women. That approach includes training law enforcement officers, court personnel, prosecutors, and non-profit victim service providers to more effectively identify and respond to crimes such as sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking. The grant supports both multi-disciplinary and multi-jurisdictional efforts as well as agency level projects such as specialized domestic violence prosecution and law enforcement units. In addition, non-profit agencies provide core victim services and address underserved populations.
This grant is awarded out of the U.S. Department of Justice’s STOP (Services • Training • Officers • Prosecutors) Violence Against Women Formula Grants Program.
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