Nonprofit Spotlight

words Catherine Frederick

The Elder Victims of Crime’s mission is to provide free, victim-centered, confidential assistance to individuals fifty years or older that self-identify as a victim of a violent or non-violent crime without regard to race, religion, color, sex, creed, national origin, socioeconomic status, physical or mental impairment within our service area. Do South® reached out to learn more.

Elder Victims of Crime Area Agency on Aging of Western Arkansas 524 Garrison Avenue, Fort Smith, Arkansas 479.783.4500 / 800.320.6667 agingwest.org

Next month, we’ll showcase another worthy charity in our area free of charge. If you have a nonprofit you’d like to see recognized, email us at catherine@dosouthmagazine.com.

DS: How did the Elder Victims of Crime (EVOC) program come to be? The Elder Victims of Crime (EVOC) Program at Area Agency on Aging of Western Arkansas, Inc. (AAAWA) was established in October 2019 with a vision of providing further assistance to the elder population who recently have been or are currently being victimized. The program is the first in Arkansas to focus only on the elder population of fifty years or older. Currently our service area provides support for the residents of Crawford, Sebastian, and Franklin counties. We have been able to help more than 200 individuals and hope to reach many more in years to come.

DS: Who does the Elder Victims of Crime program serve and in what ways? The EVOC Team provides victims and survivors full disclosure of privileged client information and will not share confidential information without their prior approval. All services are free of charge to victims. Safety and privacy are our top priorities. Assistance can be provided even if the victimization was not reported to law enforcement. Further assistance provided through our program is one-on-one counseling, home window & door lock replacement, car window replacement, legal aid services, emergency shelter, emergency transportation, emergency food and clothing, weekly virtual support groups, and weekly education and prevention training on a variety of victimization topics. Training can be provided by one of our representatives upon request with meetings held virtually or in-person. The team can also aid in completing and providing information on the Crime Victims Reparation and Compensation Application.

DS: Tell us how the EVOC's mission impacts our community. Our mission is to provide free, victim-centered, confidential assistance to individuals fifty years or older that self-identify as a victim of a violent or non-violent crime without regard to race, religion, color, sex, creed, national origin, socio-economic status, physical or mental impairment within our service area. Our team is waiting to assist with what is needed to get through a difficult time or situation.

DS: How can our community get involved? We would like to join other community-based assistance programs in our area to aid those who may be seeking emergent shelter from an abusive situation, emergency clothing due to having to leave their home without belongings, provide virtual support group where survivors/victims can receive support from others who may be going through the same situations or have in the past. We need the community’s support in helping spread the word of available victim services. There are also volunteer opportunities available to those interested in the community who meet qualifications.

DS: Are there any needs or upcoming events our readers should know? Our program is working toward providing prevention and education trainings in many different city libraries within our service area. One is scheduled at the Van Buren Public Library on June 14 at 10:30am where discussion will be held regarding our program and World Elder Abuse Awareness. Future events will be posted on the AAAWA website, www.agingwest.org, under the Elder Victims of Crime program section and on Facebook.