Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Victim Services topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Spanish Fork police advocate reports on VOCA grant services and survivor supports
Summary
Lexi, the city’s victim advocate, briefed council on services funded by the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) grant: trauma‑informed interviewing, collaboration with police and prosecutors, comfort measures and donated hygiene and comfort kits. She described a case example showing long‑term assistance for a domestic violence survivor.
Lexi, Spanish Fork’s victim advocate, presented an update on services delivered under the city’s Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) grant and outlined the department’s trauma‑informed approach to supporting survivors.
Lexi said the program’s goals include minimizing retraumatization during interviews, coordinating with detectives and the city legal team, and making referrals to community resources for housing, legal needs and other practical supports. “The first thing is we try to take a trauma informed approach,” she said, describing staff training, a soft interview room with blankets and fidget items for comfort, and survivor‑led interview pacing.
She summarized barriers survivors typically face — fear of retaliation, financial insecurity, uncertainty about justice — and explained how the advocate role aims to help survivors identify needs and connect to services. Lexi highlighted community donations of comfort items (coloring books, fidget toys) and described a volunteer‑assembled folder project with legal terms and victim rights that the department provides to survivors.
As an example of program impact Lexi described a domestic violence case the department assisted for about a year. The survivor left with very little and needed housing, legal support and basic care items. By Christmas the advocate said the survivor had progressed to the point of organizing hygiene kits to donate to others in similar crises. Chief Johnson and other council members thanked Lexi for the work and said survivors had directly reported the positive impact of her assistance.
No formal action was required; council members applauded the program’s community partnerships and the advocate’s role in reducing barriers for survivors.
