The Pima County Attorney’s Office is looking for people interested in serving as victim advocates, to join the pool of roughly 100 volunteers doing crisis work for the Victim Services Division.
“Victim Services has people available 24/7 to respond to crime scenes and help people get through what’s often the worst day of their lives,” said director Laura Penny. “We use a very specific crisis intervention model that’s proven to be effective in helping people process the experience and start to make decisions about the next step.”
Being a victim advocate is about empowering people and providing them with the information they need to begin to move past their experience, Penny said.
“We provide referrals to community organizations, counseling and medical services, but we also can provide information to people about very basic things, like a list of funeral homes,” Penny said. “It’s usually very practical information in response to what the victim has identified as his or her needs.”
With volunteers ranging from their 20s to their 70s, the group includes students, retirees and people employed in all types of job fields.
“We have people from all walks of life and because of the training we provide, every single one of them is prepared to walk into a crisis scene,” Penny said. “That’s the one criteria we look for. Just people who are interested in serving victims in this capacity.”
Penny said the large number of Victim Services volunteers gives the division the ability to provide services to victims in Pima County in a very cost-effective way.
She estimates that the program saves the county about $100,000 a year.
“We tell people that this training will change their lives, and so far I haven’t had one person at the end of classes that has disagreed,” Penny said.
Anyone interested in becoming a victim advocate needs to attend one of the two upcoming information sessions, where they’ll learn about what Victim Services is doing to help residents and how to become a volunteer. The sessions will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 31, and Tuesday, Feb. 7, at the Tucson Police Department Substation, 1310 W. Miracle Mile. For information or to sign up for one of the sessions, call 724-5525.
After attending an information session, prospective volunteers will need to fill out an application and undergo an interview process.
Training will start Feb. 21 and will be held Tuesday and Thursday evenings for six weeks.
