Our Mission

We support the rights and well-being of surviving loved ones of homicide victims and others harmed by violent crime in North Carolina.

We continue to evolve and innovate as we support surviving loved ones of homicide victims and others harmed by violent crime across the state.

About Us

Founded in 1986 by four parents who had a child taken by homicide, NCVAN was solely a policy-making organization. Fourteen years later, we developed The North Carolina Victim Service Practitioner Certification Academy (NCVSPCA), which was soon recognized as the State Victim Assistance Academy for North Carolina. Recognizing that services to homicide victims and other victims harmed by violent crime were virtually non-existent, we offered our first homicide support group in 2014.

Today, we are the only statewide victim service agency that serves victims of homicide and others harmed by violent crime that are not victims of domestic violence or sexual assault. Our services have expanded to include direct support services for surviving loved ones and training for service providers — while we continue to advocate for victims at the state level.

We provide comprehensive, high-quality services — building on the work that has been done over the years.

We amended the North Carolina Constitution to include crime victims' rights and applicable safeguards to strengthen victim rights.

We created ethical standards in victim services and expanded capacity to provide technical assistance and training through the NC Victim Services Practitioner Certification Academy, the recognized State Victim Assistance Academy for NC.

We ensured crime victim compensation laws include victims of DWI.

We supported victims of violent crime through direct advocacy services such as trauma-informed counseling, court accompaniment, and homicide support groups.