Feds Sending Missouri $36.7 Million to Help Crime Victims

Missouri's governor says an annual federal grant that assists the state's crime victims will be four times larger than last year's total at $36.7 million.

Gov. Jay Nixon's office announced last week that the money will go to the Missouri Department of Public Safety through the federal Victim of Crime Act. It is awarded by the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Justice Programs.

The money will help fund domestic violence shelters, crime victim advocates and other programs specializing in crime victims' needs.

Missouri received $8.7 million from the grant last year. It helped nearly 55,000 crime victims in fiscal year 2015 with crisis counseling, group treatment, in-person and telephone referral and a number of other assistance programs.