Lexi, the city's victim advocate, told the Spanish Fork City Council on Thursday that the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) grant supports victim-advocate services in the city and funds trauma-informed practices, coordination with prosecutors and community agencies, and material support such as comfort items and hygiene kits.

The report matters because survivors of crime often face immediate practical needs and emotional trauma while navigating the criminal justice system; the advocate said those needs can be barriers to reporting and healing and described how local services aim to reduce retraumatization and meet urgent needs.

Lexi said the VOCA-funded position helps survivors identify and address needs that can arise after victimization, from housing and childcare to legal assistance and basic supplies. "We can't promise that they won't face retaliation if they come forward," Lexi said, "We can't promise that they'll be able to find the way to magically pay their bills if they no longer have that income coming in." She described a trauma-informed approach intended to minimize retraumatization, including training for civilian staff, legal staff, officers and detectives and the use of a "soft interview room" outfitted with couches, blankets, stuffed animals and fidget items so interviews are less clinical and more comfortable.

Lexi described an intake process that begins with an assessment to identify a survivor's immediate needs and links them to resources: "From the very beginning, very first report, we're saying, what do you need right now?" In domestic violence cases the department uses a lethality assessment and, depending on the score, connects the person to services immediately. She said the advocate meets survivors early in cases, helps make a needs list and coordinates with patrol, detectives and the legal team to keep survivors informed and to document communications.

When department resources cannot meet a need, Lexi said staff refer survivors to community agencies. She described "creative solutions" the department seeks with prosecutors, including treatment components built into plea offers or tailored protective-order conditions that allow communication about children or manage financial obligations. "We work with law enforcement and our prosecutor to review our options and try to come up with creative solutions," she said.

Lexi cited local donations and volunteer projects as tangible community contributions: comfort items such as coloring books, Play-Doh, stuffed animals and fidget toys for the interview room and "dozens and dozens" of hygiene kits assembled by community members and a local college student. Those physical items, she said, can reduce anxiety and remove immediate barriers for people forced to flee quickly.

She also shared a case example with the council (with the survivor's permission): a woman who fled domestic violence and received yearlong assistance from the city's victim services. Lexi said the survivor's criminal case is "just about wrapped up" and that by the end of the year the survivor had reached a point where she wanted to give back and organize hygiene-kit donations for others.

Council members and city staff praised Lexi's work after the presentation. "I just wanna thank you too, Lexi, for the positive impact you do have in the community," one speaker said. The police chief thanked her for the difference the work makes in residents' lives.

The presentation included several operational details that city officials could follow up on: the VOCA-funded position provides recurring reporting every six months; donations and volunteer-assembled materials are part of the department's resource mix; and cases may involve support for more than a year. No formal council action or vote followed the presentation; the meeting record shows the item was a report and recognition of staff work.

Lexi closed by emphasizing collaboration: "The whole is greater than the sum of the parts," she told the council, urging coordinated use of law enforcement, legal staff and community partners to support survivors as they recover.