Responding to Gun Violence: Victim / Witness Services of South Philadelphia (VWSSP)

In 2021, Philadelphia saw a record number of homicides, a majority from gun violence. This blog series invites previously recognized Zones of Peace, an initiative of the Religious Leaders Council (RLC) of Greater Philadelphia, to share about their efforts to respond to and reduce gun violence. This series will highlight a range of effective and complementary approaches taken by Zones of Peace to address the crisis facing our city and our nation. 

The Zone of Peace highlighted here is Victim / Witness Services of South Philadelphia (VWSSP). VWSSP Executive Director Alison Sprague, intern James Scarborough, and Victim Advocate Lisa Klinman all contributed to this blog post.

Responding to gun violence is a crucial part of the work we do every day at Victim/ Witness Services of South Philadelphia (VWSSP). We are deeply supportive of increased programming to reduce gun violence. And we must invest deeply in the systemic changes that will drive down gun violence. In the meantime there remains a need for advocacy for those most impacted by this violence. At VWSSP we offer direct assistance and support to victims, witnesses and their families in the three Police Districts of South Philadelphia (1st, 3rd, and 17th Districts). We work closely with our sister agencies the Philly 6 to ensure these services are available citywide and in people’s communities.

Advocates at VWSSP respond in a variety of ways to maximize available supportive resources for survivors of gun violence and their families.  All services are free and confidential. Victim advocates are trained crisis responders who provide immediate supportive counseling and referrals to longer term therapy and mental health supports, which can be crucial elements to the healing process for many people experiencing violence or grief. Advocates also assist people impacted by violence in applying for the Victims Compensation Assistance Program (VCAP), which can cover a multitude of expenses including: counseling, medical bills, loss of earnings due to injury, relocation and in the most dire cases, funeral expenses and loss of support. Additionally, advocates provide assistance and accompaniment throughout the criminal legal process, including support in following up with law enforcement and court accompaniment. Receiving information in moments of trauma can be overwhelming. Advocates provide strategic referrals to various health and social service agencies in addition to legal services, if needed. 

Providing access to services for all is a key value of VWSSP. Our Immigrant Victim Access Collaborative (IVAC) in particular provides culturally competent and linguistically accessible victim advocacy services, including referrals, for many immigrant and limited English proficient community members. VWSSP refers immigrant community members impacted by gun violence to bilingual trained trauma counselors that specialize in the mental and emotional effects of gun violence. Our IVAC program is a joint project with Justice at Work and HIAS-PA to provide case management and legal services as well as detailed referral systems to multilingual and multicultural service providers across the city.

In addition to our direct advocacy, staff at VWSSP works cooperatively with other victim services providers, social service providers, legal practitioners, and community members to improve the services available to support victims of gun violence and their communities. We stand with all those working to reduce violence in our City.