The Victim Information Program Emergency Assistance Fund was established to help victims of crime in South Carolina when local resources and funding programs or private insurance are unavailable. The Program shall serve, on an emergency basis, to supplement existing services when no other means of financial assistance is immediately available to crime victims.
Funding Source and Organizational Structure
Financial resources for the Fund are provided through a federal Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) grant awarded to the South Carolina Victim Assistance Network by the South Carolina Department of Public Safety
The following funding criteria shall be considered by service providers when initiating a request for funding:
A) The victim must have suffered physical, psychological or financial harm within 90 days
B) The crime occurred within the jurisdiction of the state of South Carolina
C) If the victim is under 18 years of age, legal guardian or custodian must cooperate with the service provider during the application process
D) All other services and financial resources must be explored before applying to the Emergency Fund, including application to the State Office of Victim Assistance in appropriate cases.
Funding applications must comply with VOCA regulations, be consistent with the stated purpose for the Fund, and be considered an emergency need that is a direct result of the crime. Allowable costs shall include:
A) Food - Emergency food needs (meals or groceries)
B) Clothes -
C) Prescriptions - Emergency medicines that are needed prior to SOVA's funding. No Schedule II drugs allowed
D) Lodging - Emergency lodging in the event that shelters are full (or they don't meet shelter requirements)
E) Door Locks - Emergency locks for the safety of a victim
F) Home Repairs - replace/repair doors and windows
G) Crime Scene Clean Up - Please refer to approved vendor list
H) Transportation - bus tickets, gas
Funding Application Procedures
All applications must be submitted by a Service Provider Agency.
The Service Provider Agency will have consulted with the victim or family members prior to submitting an application from in an effort to explore all available resources prior to submitting an application form. These resources should include the State Office of Victim Assistance, local emergency funding, personal insurance policies, and other sources.
The Service Provider Agency is responsible for ensuring that all funding criteria are met.
Separate application forms are required for each individual victim and request.
Application must be faxed or mailed with the incident report (or description of events).
When an application is received, if the request requires $500 or less, the VIP Program Manager will review the application and will have authority to approve the request if it meets the applicable guidelines. If the request requires an amount in excess of $500, the Emergency Victim Assistance Committee (EVAC) will be contacted to review the application and an affirmative vote of a majority of those members is needed to authorize an award.
Upon approval of an application, an approval code will be assigned. The VIP Program Manager will contact service provider via email or phone with approval code. If you would like a copy of the 'stamped' approved application, please inform Program Manager. No invoices will be paid or reimbursed without an approval code. The approval code will be your reference number for future correspondence.