Human Services Department- Victim Support Team

About VST

The Victim Support Team (VST) provides short term advocacy and resources to victims of violent crimes. The primary goal is to listen to survivors, help them identify what next step they want to take, address immediate safety concerns, and offer connections to resources in the community and within the Criminal Justice System.

Services

VST can provide transportation, help to locate shelter or safe housing, and offer essential needs such as: hygiene supplies, food, and clothing. Through a trauma-informed lens, VST offers tailored referrals to culturally-relevant resources. Safety planning is survivor-centered and empowerment based. Through collaboration with system-based partners, VST also supports in navigating the legal system. As a government program, all services are non-confidential.

Volunteer Program

Community Volunteers with the Victim Support Team operate in-person on the weekends as a mobile crisis response team, and during the week offering remote phone advocacy.

• WEEKEND MOBILE ADVOCACY VOLUNTEERS
• VST was created to fill the gap in services that exists on the weekends when other systems and resources are not available. In-person shifts happen throughout the weekend. Working in pairs, volunteers provide crisis intervention both in-person and over the phone. Requests for volunteer services come from a wide range of sources, including patrol officers, detectives, prosecutors, ER social workers, and system-based advocates. Seattle Police officers can request that VST respond in-person to domestic violence scenes once the situation has been assessed for safety concerns.
• REMOTE ADVOCACY VOLUNTEERS
• A new opportunity emerged during the pandemic for volunteers to offer the same essential and timely support to survivors remotely. Through innovation on digital platforms, volunteers in this role are able to offer robust services from home.