Credit: Submitted
State officials visited a Bucks County victim services nonprofit last Wednesday to highlight how state funding increases have expanded local resources for crime survivors.
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Representatives from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) met with leaders at the Network of Victim Assistance (NOVA) to look at the impact of state investments.
A focus of the visit was the state’s Victims Compensation Assistance Program (VCAP), which helps survivors reimburse eligible expenses such as medical bills, counseling, lost income, relocation, and funeral costs.
On average, PCCD receives roughly 12,000 VCAP claims annually.
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Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration has paid out more than $49 million for over 20,000 claims across Pennsylvania, including more than $1 million for over 500 claims in Bucks County alone, according to a press release.
As a way to stabilize the program, the state allocated $5 million in the 2024–2025 budget and an additional $9 million in the 2025–2026 budget.
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Shapiro’s proposed 2026–2027 budget looks to expand the program’s current revenue source by nearly 50 percent.
“Victim services programs like NOVA provide essential support for people during some of the darkest moments of their lives,” said Kathy Buckley, director of PCCD Office of Victims’ Services. “Whether the victim or survivor is a child or an adult, these programs offer safety, guidance, and compassion at a time when individuals often feel overwhelmed, afraid, and unsure of where else to turn.”
Buckley added that NOVA serves as a model for using state and federal resources to support survivors, strengthen families, promote safety, and prevent future violence.
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NOVA provides comprehensive services to Bucks County survivors of all crimes, including human trafficking, sexual assault, and child sexual abuse.
In fiscal year 2025, the agency assisted more than 3,700 local victims with counseling, advocacy, court accompaniment, hospital and police interview support, and assistance filing VCAP claims, officials said.
Penelope Ettinger, executive director of NOVA, said the financial support helps alleviate the overwhelming impact of crime.
“NOVA advocates work directly with victims and survivors to guide them through the VCAP application process, helping them understand their options and complete claims with care and compassion,” Ettinger said. “By removing barriers to accessing financial resources, VCAP allows individuals to focus on their safety, healing, and recovery.”
In addition to its advocacy work, NOVA operates the county’s Children’s Advocacy Center, coordinating child-focused responses to abuse cases through forensic interviews, support for investigations, and counseling referrals. Using PCCD funds, NOVA also runs evidence-based prevention programs, “Safe Touches” and “Smarter Parents, Safer Kids.” To date, these initiatives have reached 4,442 children and 66 caregivers in Bucks County.
The agency also leads the local STOP Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) program, uniting law enforcement, prosecutors, courts, and victim service providers.
Recently, NOVA used federal PCCD funds to expand these services to include specialized forensic exams for nonfatal strangulation, a major predictor of future lethal domestic violence. Trained forensic nurses now provide clinical assessments, injury documentation, imaging, and safety planning for these victims.
NOVA also houses the Keystone Crisis Intervention Team (KCIT), a statewide project funded by PCCD that responds to large-scale traumatic incidents like mass violence, bank robberies, and arson.
Since its launch in 2000, KCIT’s trained volunteer teams have provided crisis intervention services to more than 13,000 victims in over 50 Pennsylvania communities.
