The Center for Victims of Torture Expands Services Into Atlanta, Thanks to ORR Grant

ST. PAUL, Minn. —The Center for Victims of Torture™ (CVT) today announced it has secured grant funding from the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), making it possible for CVT to begin providing rehabilitative care to torture survivors in Atlanta, Georgia, through a new partnership with the International Rescue Committee (IRC). The grants also support CVT’s St. Paul Healing Center and National Capacity Building Project.

“By partnering with IRC, we look forward to rebuilding the lives and restoring the hope of torture survivors living in a previously underserved region of the United States,” said Andrea Northwood, CVT’s director of client services. “Partnering with an experienced resettlement agency offers us the chance to intervene earlier in the adjustment process for new Americans, which can save costs and unnecessary suffering that occurs when these needs go unmet and compound over time.  Experience has taught us that, with coordinated care to address their social, physical, psychological and legal needs, torture survivors recover and eventually thrive, giving back to their communities.”

“The International Rescue Committee in Atlanta is tremendously excited about this partnership with CVT,” said J.D. McCrary, executive director, IRC in Atlanta. “This program will build upon the deep roots of 36 years of refugee services leadership in Georgia. The IRC provides the strong community relationships needed for the program to quickly launch, ensuring services for those in need are promptly available.”

The grants also provide core funding and allow for innovation in two of CVT’s key programs. CVT’s St. Paul Healing Center—where survivors of torture undergo the work of rebuilding their lives—will pilot a new model of group intervention and continue to serve survivors in Minnesota. CVT’s National Capacity Building Project benefits as well, allowing CVT to partner with the Harvard Program in Refugee Trauma and the Bellevue/NYU Program for Survivors of Torture in organizing training and technical assistance for torture survivor centers and programs across the United States.

These grants increase ORR’s investment in CVT’s work from $865,000 annually to nearly $1.14 million annually. Each grant covers a three-year funding cycle, meaning this increases ORR’s investment in CVT’s work from a total of $2.595 million over three years to a total of $3.423 million over three years.

“This is wonderful news for the survivors we serve,” said Pete Dross, CVT’s director of external relations. “With these funds we will create new partnerships, strengthen existing alliances and build our capacity to reach more survivors. We value this recognition from ORR that CVT is providing excellent work, and these grants demonstrate their confidence in our ideas about new techniques and models.”