In the fall of 2020, End Domestic Abuse Wisconsin and its initiatives, The Asha Project, Inc. and the National Clearinghouse on Abuse in Later Life (NCALL), were awarded grant funding from the Office for Victims of Crime to address the service needs of older victims of abuse and financial exploitation in Milwaukee, WI.

With these funds, our agencies collectively aim to: build upon and improve services and supports for Milwaukee’s older African American adults; and provide resources for service providers and criminal justice stakeholders to help them grow their capacity to support and engage culturally-specific service providers who are working to restore safety and security to all older African American victims.

Services and Supports

The Asha Project offers services in Milwaukee, WI designed specifically for African American victims and survivors of crime and abuse, age 50 and older. The elder victim services advocate provides cultural, age-relevant, and trauma-informed supports that honor the history, experiences, and unique challenges older adults face. Each person is treated with the respect and dignity they deserve. Please get in touch with an advocate today for support with:

• crisis intervention
• safety planning
• case management and counseling
• criminal justice systems and social services advocacy
• victim compensation support
• supports for transportation, food, and housing
• connections to community services

Resources

In 2020, the National Clearinghouse on Abuse in Later Life (NCALL) released  Increasing Access to Healing Services and Just Outcomes for Older African American Crime Survivors: A Toolkit for Enhancing Critical Knowledge and Informing Action within the Crime Victim Assistance Field. This important resource emerged from a 2019 filming session of three older African American crime survivors from Milwaukee and a panel of four subject matter experts. The Increasing Access toolkit centers the voices and lived experiences of older African American crime victims and offers practical ways for criminal justice systems stakeholders and victims services providers to enhance their work and effectively address systemic barriers older African American victims face in their healing and recovery processes.

Download the toolkit guide and workbook here. The accompanying video clips of older survivors sharing their stories and video clips of an expert panel—Antonia Drew Vann and Shawn Muhammad of the Asha Project, Jennifer Davis of Village Wrap, Inc., and LaTrice Buck of Inspire Consulting, Inc.—discussing the crime victim experience and best practices for victim service providers may be viewed below.  Simply click on the desired video still below to stream the video in your browser.

Videos