The mission of the Mayor’s Office of Victim Services and Justice Grants (OVSJG) is to develop, fund, and coordinate programs that improve public safety; enhance the administration of justice; and create systems of care for crime victims, youth, and their families in the District.

​Summary of Services

The Office of Victim Services and Justice Grants (OVSJG) coordinates and funds community-based organizations and District agencies that provide services for: (1) victims of crime; (2) justice-involved individuals; and (3) truancy reduction and juvenile delinquency prevention programs. As the State Administering Agency (SAA) for federal victim services and criminal and juvenile justice system funding, OVSJG engages in planning and coordination with, and provides training and technical assistance to, organizations and agencies receiving grant funding to provide these services. In addition to the Victim Services, Justice Grants, and Truancy Reduction programs, OVSJG operates the District’s Address Confidentiality Program, which provides a legal substitute address and mail forwarding for eligible DC residents to maintain the confidentiality of her or his actual address; the Private Security Camera Incentive Program, which encourages residents, businesses, non-profits and religious institutions to install security camera systems on their property; and administers the Access to Justice initiative, which provides funding to entities providing civil legal services and student loan repayment assistance for eligible lawyers. OVSJG also provides policy making expertise, advice, and counsel to the Mayor on the role of victims and offenders in the criminal justice system, enhancing the District’s responses to trauma; and evidence-based practices to respond to, intervene in, and prevent violence..