Atlanta Victim Assistance Inc. (AVA) is a nonprofit service agency that advocates for the fundamental rights of victims of crime with compassion, dignity, and respect. For nearly 40 years, AVA has served more than 145 thousand crime victims including survivors of domestic abuse, families of homicide victims, survivors of child abuse, elder abuse and victims of identity theft.  AVA works with numerous community partners including the Atlanta Police Department and the City of Atlanta Municipal Court to reduce the impact of crime and connect victims to various services.

Last year alone, we served nearly 6-thousand Atlanta residents the majority of whom are people of color from low-income socioeconomic levels, and most often women of color. In fact our recent  estimates show  84% of clients identified as Black, and 54% identified as women.

AVA also has school-based programs that work with students at two Atlanta Title I high schools, a federal education program that supports low-income students throughout the nation.  The vast majority of students there identify as Black, Latinx, or multi-racial.

Programs and Services

Crime victims can experience devastating and life-altering trauma. AVA’s comprehensive services help victims of crime mitigate the trauma they experience. Our services are culturally responsive, victim-centered, recognizing the presence of trauma symptoms and acknowledging the role trauma may play in someone’s life- including service staff.  Our skilled advocates are trained to provide support and access to services based on individual needs, make referrals to critical services, and provide education on victims’ rights.  Our programs include:

Law Enforcement and Advocacy Program (LEAP): We work closely with the Atlanta Police Department (APD), within all six APD zone precincts and several special crime units. Our trained advocates accompany law enforcement officers to respond to victims at crime scenes and immediately respond to those who call the agency hotline. This partnership enables victims to receive critical services as soon as possible in the aftermath of a crime. LEAP advocates are not only dedicated to serving their zone or unit and developing a rapport with the officers but also reach out to the community. Our trained advocates provide free counseling while connecting victims to vital services and support groups, as well as providing in-person advocacy and support in court.

Court Advocate Program: AVA partners with the Atlanta Municipal Court for the Court Advocacy Program, which provides two on-site court advocates to assist victims of crime whose cases are assigned to the Atlanta Municipal Court. The advocates conduct needs assessments for victims and witnesses, notify victims of scheduled court appearances, and encourage witnesses (usually the victim) to appear and testify. Advocates also work with victims to resolve issues and remove barriers that might prevent them from appearing in court. The advocates may appear in court with the victims, provide crisis intervention, offer referrals to community services, and assist with Crime Victim Compensation applications.

Homicide Support Project: AVA’s Tea & Talk Homicide Support Project honors and empowers survivors of homicide.  Survivors are given a safe space to not only mourn together, but also to honor their loved ones, and draw inspiration from each other’s resiliency and strength through a support group.  In addition, AVA offers an on-call advocate, assistance with the Georgia Victim Compensation Application, and any other special needs or request.  Grief classes are also offered culminating with a graduation ceremony to celebrate the transition from victim to victor.

Safety 1st School-Based Advocacy Services: Two dedicated school advocates provide resources and support to students who are likely victims or witnesses to a crime, at Maynard Jackson High School and Carver STEAM Academy (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics). At those schools AVA offers Victim 2 Victor (V2V), an educational support program for youth and their caregivers who have experienced trauma from exposure to homicide and family violence. AVA also offers Safe Dates, a violence intervention and prevention program regarding teen dating and healthy relationships.

Restorative Conferencing Atlanta (RCA): RCA is a restorative justice program that empowers young people and their communities to resolve their conflicts outside of the juvenile court system in Fulton County. RCA provides a space for young people to hold themselves accountable for their actions, introduce positive alternatives, and mobilize their communities to get involved in preventing further conflict.

Community Outreach and Education: AVA hosts events, resource fairs, and vigils to help Atlanta’s residents heal from violence and well as ways to prevent it from happening to them. Advocates also attend community meetings to make residents aware of  AVA’s services.  AVA annually hosts ceremonies for National Crime Victims’ Rights Week in April, a Domestic Violence Resource Fair at the Atlanta Municipal Court in October and an annual Celebration of Life Candlelight Vigil each December to commemorate victims and their families.

Looking Forward

It has been well documented that violence can destroy young people’s lives. The trauma endured by our youth who have witnessed or experienced high volumes of violent crimes, particularly the horror of losing a loved one to homicide, has long-reaching effects.

Recognizing that they need more access to services that will help them heal from their experiences and promote success in school and beyond, AVA plans to expand our Safety 1st School-Based Services to include Atlanta middle schools that feed into the two high schools we currently serve, i.e. Maynard Jackson High School and Carver STEAM Academy. Working with the students as a cluster throughout middle school and high school will strengthen the skills they learn, at an earlier age, and provide them with greater resources to help them as they journey from adolescence into becoming adults.

AVA has recently launched three new initiatives that will provide increased support to victims of crime in Atlanta:

1. Survivors of domestic violence often seek Temporary Protective Orders (TPOs) to keep themselves and their children safe from their abusers However, the process can be overwhelming and drawn-out. AVA is now partnering with the Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers (AVLF) Foundation so that survivors of domestic violence can find safety through expedited TPOs. AVA’s advocates have been trained by AVLF to help survivors complete TPO requests, that Atlanta Volunteer Lawyer Foundation’s attorneys will present during the court hearings.
2. Sometimes a crime can leave a victim with little or nothing. They may have had to leave their home or lost access to their belongings. With that in mind, AVA’s Closet, was recently launched to provide much needed items such as clothing and toiletries to victims in need.
3. It’s no secret that Grady Memorial Hospital has seen an increase in crime, violence, and trauma in recent years resulting in rise in gunshot wounds among our youth and young adults. AVA recently joined Grady’s Interrupting Violence with Youth and Young Adults (IVYY) program to help provide “wraparound” services for gunshot wound survivors. As a community partner, AVA has two trained advocates to offer access to community resources and referrals, and assistance in filling out Crime Victim Compensation forms.

Under the leadership of Shontel Brunson-Wright, Executive Director of Atlanta Victim Assistance, Inc., the AVA Team is poised to broaden our services to the City of Atlanta. 

Contacting AVA

Atlanta Victim Assistance, Inc. is committed to serving the Atlanta community diligently and consistently. To do so, we have provided the following methods for contacting us. You may use the link below to send a general message or contact an advocate directly. 

Submit an Atlanta Victim Assistance Request online

Advocates

Homicide
Chevon Hill
Email: clhill@atlantaga.gov
Cell:  404-437-9113 

Zone 1
Natalie Wright
Email: jda-nwright@atlantaga.gov
Cell: 678-651-4608 

Zone 2
Makayla Johnson
Email: ja-mjohnson@atlantaga.gov
Cell:  404-438-7607 

Zone 3
Charlene Kay
Email: ckay@atlantaga.gov
Cell:  404-573-7652 

Zone 4
Beverly Muhammad
Email: mun-bamuhammad@atlantaga.gov 
Cell:  404-749-0476 

Zone 5
Kyra King
Email:  kyking@atlantaga.gov
Cell: 404-587-0155 

Zone 6
Ambrosia Floyd
Email: ja-afloyd@atlantaga.gov
Cell:   404-246-5214 

AFTER HOURS & WEEKENDS
Patricia Hudson
Email: phudson@atlantaga.gov 
Cell: 678-350-8665

Web: www.atlantava.org

Facebook: @atlantavictimassitance
Twitter: ATLvictimassist
Instagram: @atlvictimassistance

General Contact Information 
Email: atlvictimassist@atlantaga.gov
Phone: 404.588.4740
Address: 150 Garnett Street SW Floor 4 Atlanta, GA 30303