Only 4% of crime survivors know about critical supports like victim compensation | National public safety leaders visit Jacksonville to raise awareness of healing resources available
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Local gun violence survivors will come together Friday with national public safety advocates to tell their stories and raise awareness about victim compensation resources.
Only 4% of violent crime survivors know about victim compensation, according to a national poll. At Friday’s event, survivors will learn how to apply to the state’s victim compensation program, share their experiences accessing victim compensation, and advocate for improvements that will make it easier to access these critical resources for healing.
Local survivors will be joined by national public safety leader and gun violence survivor Aswad Thomas as he tours the country raising awareness of survivors’ “Right to Heal.”
WHAT: Jacksonville gun violence survivors call for improved access to victim compensation
WHEN: Friday, July 18 from 6:30PM – 9:30PM EDT
WHERE: 1225 W Beaver St, Jacksonville, FL 32204
WHO: Crime survivors and victim advocates including:
- Aswad Thomas, a survivor of gun violence and National Director of Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice. After he was shot and nearly killed during an attempted robbery, Aswad became one of the nation’s most outspoken supporters of resources for survivors of gun violence in urban communities.
- Feletta Smith, a local gun violence survivor who was shot 13 times during a double homicide. She went on to found Beyond the Bullet, a group that cultivates a safe place for victims of gun violence and encourages them to take action.
- Beverly McClain, a local mother who lost her son Andre to gun violence. She founded Families of Slain Children Inc. to help other parents who’ve lost children to violence help prevent these tragedies from happening again.
BACKGROUND
Victim compensation programs can play a critical role in survivor healing. Every state has a program, which can cover urgent costs like counseling, funeral expenses, and lost wages. But according to a national poll the Alliance for Safety and Justice conducted in 2022, 96% of victims of violent crime did not receive victim compensation to help in their recovery.
Often survivors are not aware that these programs even exist. But even when survivors are directed toward such relief, the application process can be overwhelming – especially when navigating trauma – and far too many survivors are disqualified due to harmful eligibility restrictions. These processes have a disproportionate impact
on communities of color: despite being significantly more likely to be victimized in violent incidents, people of color and other marginalized survivors face barriers in law, policy, and practice that make it even harder to receive help.
The Jacksonville community event is part of a multi-city tour for the Crime Survivors Speak: Right to Heal – Access to Victim Compensation campaign. The goal of these events is to amplify crime survivors’ voices, increase public awareness of victim compensation programs, and advocate for policy changes that remove barriers to access.
About Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice
Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice (CSSJ) is a national network of more than 200,000 crime victims advocating for a justice system that prioritizes healing, prevention, and recovery. The organization represents a new victims’ rights movement that centers the voices and needs of crime survivors in decisions about public safety. The movement’s grassroots, member-led initiatives have successfully driven significant policy changes and opened groundbreaking trauma recovery centers across the country. CSSJ is a flagship project of the Alliance for Safety and Justice. For more information, visit https://cssj.org/.