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"The support is a life saver for me and others in this fight for justice."

—Crime Survivor

AVA-40th-Logo-VECTOR

Celebrating 40 years of empowering victims to become victors.

For 40 years, Atlanta Victim Assistance, Inc. (AVA) has been an essential and unique resource for individuals and families in Atlanta to receive free and comprehensive support after experiencing the life-altering and devastating impacts of a crime. Since our inception in 1984, our compassionate team has delivered tailored programs and services to empower more than 150,000 victims of crime and their families to become victors, equipping them with the support needed to heal and thrive. 

More than
served since inception in 1984

Join us in helping Atlanta’s crime victims become victors.

Make a tax-deductible donation.

For individuals and families without the necessary support and resources to recover from a crime, the damage extends far beyond the crime scene. Crime victims can experience life-altering trauma and the consequences can be devastating without help. Thanks to AVA’s comprehensive services developed over the last four decades, we have enabled hope and healing for thousands of victims each year.

But we need your help.

As a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, funding is our only limit to ensuring AVA’s support and resources are accessible to every person who needs them. We rely on the generosity of our community whose contributions allow us to offer our life-changing programs and services.

Make a donation today to help empower victims to heal, thrive, and become victors—today and well into the future.

Donate

Attend or support an AVA event.

You can also make an impact by supporting or attending an upcoming event such as our 5K on October 12 or our anniversary celebration on October 24.

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Events

Our essential and unique mission brings hope to survivors.

Our mission is to advocate for the fundamental rights of victims while walking alongside them with compassion, dignity, and respect, and to aid in finding healing and justice.

AVA is unlike any other crime assistance organization in the United States. We are a nonprofit organization with unique and integrated partnerships with the Atlanta Police Department (APD), Atlanta Municipal Court, Atlanta Public Schools (APS), and more, which enable individuals and families to receive critical services as soon as possible in the aftermath of a crime. 

"AVA has done great work in the community to assist and be available for victims of crime in the City of Atlanta. They do wonderful job partnering with city officials to make sure victims have a voice and both victim and families have the resources needed after a crime has occurred."

—Member of a Partner Organization

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Learn More About our Partners

We focus on healing and resilience.

Over the last four decades, our programs and partnerships have allowed AVA to serve domestic violence survivors, children and youth witnesses of violence, survivors of a loved one’s homicide, sexual assault survivors, and many other Atlanta residents affected by crime. And unlike other crime assistance organizations, when there are crimes committed against people, AVA offers support to victims and witnesses regardless of the arrest status of the offender. For these victims, AVA is often the only organization connecting them with resources and helping them to cope, grieve and move forward with their lives. 

Recognizing the long-lasting physical, emotional and psychological impacts of crime, AVA uses a holistic approach when delivering our programs and services and we focus on healing and resilience long after the crime. We are deeply committed to our work, providing victims and their families with the support and resources to transform their experiences into sources of strength and hope.

  • We facilitate homicide support groups and recognition events like candlelight vigils to help grieving family members cope with the loss of a loved one due to crime. Loss is a deeply personal experience and in some cases when no arrest is made or the perpetrator isn’t identified, loved ones can experience long-lasting grief with no sense of closure. For many, these groups and memorial opportunities provide a source of comfort and healing for months and even years. 
  • Because victims often find themselves with limited resources—some having been forced to leave their homes or lost access to their belongings—they can access AVA's Closet for free to get essential items like food, clothing, toiletries, and more.
  • We work to expedite Temporary Protective Orders (TPOs) to help domestic violence survivors keep themselves and their children safe from their abusers.
Learn More About our Programs & Services

Our Compassionate Team

Our compassionate team knows all too well that anyone can be the victim of a crime. In addition to being highly trained and qualified, some of our team members have been personally affected by crime and profound loss. Their personal experiences combined with their professional expertise uniquely qualify them to address the complex emotions, fears, and challenges that emerge after a crime, and they are committed to walking alongside victims and their families on their path to healing. 

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"There's a proverb that says, 'Unrelenting disappointment leaves you heartsick, but a sudden good break can turn your life around.' Advocate services provided through AVA are important—no, CRUCIAL—because they lead victims to a point where they can believe that even in this perverse world, even when bad things happen to good people, one good break—one good referral—can turn life around!"

—AVA Team Member

Meet our Team

The History of AVA

1984

The Georgia Crime Victims Bill of Rights is enacted to recognize victims’ basic rights and to require the city of Atlanta to commit resources to address crime victims’ needs. As a result, Atlanta’s first  Victim Witness Assistance Program (VWAP) is established, which later becomes Atlanta Victim Assistance, Inc. (AVA). To achieve its mission, the organization establishes strong partnerships with the Atlanta Police Department and the Atlanta Municipal Court.

 

1989

The average monthly VWAP caseload is 345 clients, and the program is involved in court cases that provide varying degrees of assistance including notification, going to court with the victim, offering general information, and assisting the victim impact statements. 

 

1991

Services are expanded to include areas which require a great level of expertise such as child physical and sexual abuse, support services to families and witnesses of homicide, and crimes against ethnic minorities and seniors. Victims are assisted whether or not an arrest is ever made in the case. 

 

2005

Victim Witness Assistance Program (VWAP) is renamed to Atlanta Victim Assistance, Inc. (AVA).

2012

AVA helps more than 5,000 victims of crime annually with services including, but not limited to: a 24-hour helpline; crisis intervention at the scene of the crime; pre-case intervention and follow-up; the facilitation of several specialized support groups including survivors and victims of homicide as well as domestic violence; access to emergency housing and funds to cover unforeseen medical, funeral, crime scene clean-up, and mental health counseling expenses; and education on the criminal justice process.

2019

AVA expands its impact by establishing the School Advocates Program with Atlanta Public Schools and Purpose Built Schools, and places school-based advocates at Maynard

Jackson and Carver STEAM high schools to provide advocacy intervention and support services to students who are victims of crime.

2020

Amid COVID-19, economic recession, and social unrest, increased crime affects communities nationwide, including in the city of Atlanta. As a result, AVA serves the largest annual number of individuals since the organization’s inception.

Today

AVA celebrates its 40th anniversary of moving victims to victors. The organization remains committed to working directly with victims of all types of crime in Atlanta to ensure that their voices are heard and the road to healing is accessible. To effectively serve victims across the city, our staff includes more than 15 advocates who are placed in Atlanta Municipal Court, Atlanta Police Department Zones, Special Crime Victims Units, and two Title I high schools in the Atlanta Public Schools district.