Michigan Crime Victim Services Commission provides support for those who need it most

FOX 2 (WJBK) - On January 15, a Ring doorbell camera captured teenagers intentionally set a mother’s front porch on fire in Detroit.

It was a bold crime that robbed a family of its sense of security.

"As a mom, I’m very upset. I don’t feel safe," said the family's mother. "I don’t have the funds to move with my baby."

That mother isn’t alone in her feeling.

On many occasions, FOX 2 has met victims of crimes who feel they have no way out. Not only are they trapped in the traumatic aftermath of an unthinkable action, but they don’t have money to recover.

"Being a victim is traumatic. People experience some of the hardest times of their lives after being a victim of a crime," said Shalonna Banks.

Banks manages crime victims compensation and rights in Michigan. Her program offers money and services for victims of crime.

Some examples include relocation funding for the families who have had their homes shot up, and want to move to a safer area - or medical expenses for people like the mother who was carjacked and run over by the thief in her own car.

"There are smaller things like replacement services." Banks said. "Where, if you’re a person who is the primary caregiver for your mom who is disabled, you become the victim of a crime, we can get somebody to take care of that person for you."

State leaders created the Crime Victims Services Commission in 1976.  In August 2023, the state legislature expanded its benefits and opened the program to people associated with victims of crime.

"We want to reach as great of an audience as we can," Banks said. "It impacts the victims’ lives. It impacts the families’ lives. It works to make them whole, in a way they can start to heal."

FOX 2: "For the people you have helped in the past eight years, what is the feeling you get when people say thank you?"

"It is a feeling unlike any other," she said. "It is a bone-deep, soul-deep feeling of you’ve made a difference in someone’s life."

If you need help, you can call the Crime Victim Services Commission at 517-241-7373.  Go HERE for more information on Crime Victim Services Commission online.