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Victim's advocate reports rising caseload; county explores temporary housing and security options
Summary
Beaver County's victim advocate updated commissioners that assistance cases remain high (237 clients in 2023; 273 in 2024) and described near-term needs including temporary housing and security arrangements for clients with upcoming court proceedings.
The victim advocate updated the Beaver County Commission on Feb. 18 about current client caseloads and immediate needs for temporary housing and security for people involved in criminal cases.
"I ran some reports from January 1 from December 2023. We assisted 237 clients," the victim advocate told commissioners, and added that from Jan. 1 through Dec. 31, 2024 the program assisted 273 clients. For the current year through Feb. 18 the advocate said the office had assisted 18 clients.
During the update staff described a March court trial for a current case and noted the need for temporary lodging for victims, potentially for a week at a time. Commissioners and staff discussed local hotel capacity and outreach to nearby counties and service providers to find placements. The advocate said she has contacted Canyon Creek and other local providers to identify options but noted that many larger towns are full.
The commission asked the victim advocate to clarify security arrangements for victims staying in temporary locations. Commissioners said they would consult the sheriff and county attorney (Ron and the sheriff were named in discussion) and promised to return with parameters for on-site security. "Let me look into it," one commissioner said, offering to make phone calls to identify options and report back to the advocate.
The advocate and staff described that cases include a mix of offenses but have recently skewed toward domestic-related incidents. They emphasized that clients often require ongoing assistance, including court accompaniment and extended support through legal proceedings.
The commission did not take a formal vote on new funding at this meeting but discussed coordinating with other counties and possible funding sources to secure temporary placements when needed.
