(251) Victim Witness Fund

The San Benito County Victim Witness Assistance Program’s mission is to ensure safety; help victims of crime mitigate the trauma of crime, navigate the criminal justice system and rebuild their lives. The program does this by providing support, information, links to community resources and assisting in the enforcement of victim’s rights.

• Provided mandatory and optional services to at least 700 victims.
• Increased communication with law enforcement and community agencies
• Obtained over 300 hours of volunteer services
• Successfully secured additional funding through September 30, 2021 for the development of crime related mass casualty incident planning.

• Contact with hard to reach populations. Specifically the unserved and underserved (i.e., elderly, rural residents and monolingual Spanish speakers)
• Limited participation in community events and outreach opportunities.
• Collaborating with emergency services to incorporate crime related mass casualty planning into the county’s Emergency of Operations Plan.

• To have successfully added a component of crime related mass casualty planning in the County’s Emergency of Operations Plan.
• Securing ongoing funding through grant opportunities to maintain program objectives.
• Maintain staffing levels to meet immediate needs of all victims.
• Maintain efforts to recruit volunteers to assist the program in providing support services.