Tuolumne County District Attorney Laura Krieg announced today that her office has been awarded a competitive grant through the Unserved/Underserved Victim Advocacy and Outreach Program of the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES).
On Monday May 2, 2016, the District Attorney’s Office received notification that their grant application had been selected to receive funding. The grant will provide $350,000 in funding from April 1, 2016 to March 31, 2018. In the application, the District Attorney’s Office focused on the elder population in Tuolumne County and the need for increased services for victims of elder abuse.
The grant will also allow for additional staff and resources to be dedicated to community outreach, education, and prevention. “Often the District Attorney’s Office becomes involved once charges have been filed in elder abuse cases”, stated Krieg, “my goal is to increase our presence in the community so that we can assist in providing information on how to prevent this crime and also provide early intervention services.”
The District Attorney’s Office plans on hiring a full time victim witness advocate and experienced office assistant. They will focus solely on elder abuse cases and will participate in outreach services. Ms. Krieg also plans on launching a multi-disciplinary elder abuse task force to increase collaboration and cross reporting amongst agencies.
The original competitive grant application included a potential five year and two year award. Tuolumne County District Attorney’s Office received the two year award. District Attorney Laura Krieg stated that she is very proud of the hard work and time that her staff spent in researching and applying for this funding. Tuolumne County Victim Witness Supervisor Ginger Martin did an “amazing job” on the grant application and “we were selected as a recipient in a very competitive process,” Krieg stated. The Tuolumne County District Attorney’s Office is also very thankful to the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services for the opportunity to apply and receive these funds for the citizens of Tuolumne County.
