Office of the Victim Advocate | Homepage

What we do

The Office of the Victim Advocate (OVA) works on behalf of victims of violent crime in Philadelphia. OVA assists victims and their loved ones, also known as co-victims, by:

Assessing their needs.
Identifying viable short-term and long-term solutions.
Connecting them with resources and services.

Additionally, OVA works towards:

Addressing systemic barriers at both state and local policy levels.
Advocating for victims’ rights within law enforcement systems and city government.
Supporting local victim service agency partners to enhance services delivered and increase their capacity to serve victims.

Connect

Address	100 S. Broad St. Suite 440 Philadelphia, PA 19102
Email	victim.advocate@phila.gov
	Phone: (215) 686-2115

Submit a complaint or a request for assistance

You can use our contact form to request support from the Office of the Victim Advocate.

Resources

OVA resource guide

Use our guide to learn about community resources for violence prevention and victim services.

Leadership

Adara L. Combs, Esq.

Executive Director

adara.combs@phila.gov

Adara L. Combs, Esq. was confirmed by City Council and appointed by Mayor Jim Kenney to lead the Office of the Victim Advocate (OVA) at the end of January 2022. The office opened its doors on February 7, 2022.

Adara comes to OVA after a decade-long career with the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office where she served as a diversion coordinator, prosecutor, and supervisor. She is a lifelong Philadelphian, Philadelphia High School for Girls’ graduate, and alum of both Franklin & Marshall College and the Beasley School of Law at Temple University.

After having served as the voice for many families who were victimized and tragically losing loved ones in her own family to violence, she works tirelessly to support victims of this City. Adara L. Combs, Esq. knows firsthand that the pursuit of justice involves all of us and can only be won through collaborative leadership while working in and with our communities.

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Heather Arias

Deputy Director

heather.arias@phila.gov

Heather Arias serves as the deputy director for the Office of the Victim Advocate within the City of Philadelphia Managing Director’s Office.

Arias began her career in victim advocacy in 2017 where she proudly served as the homicide preliminary hearing coordinator with the Families of Murder Victims (FMV) program housed in the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office Homicide Unit. In this role, Arias notified and accompanied witnesses and co-victims of homicide to upcoming court hearings and supported them throughout the criminal justice process once an arrest had been made.

In 2020, Arias was promoted to director of Victim/Witness Services at the Anti-Violence Partnership of Philadelphia where she oversaw the daily operations of two victim service programs, Families of Murder Victims (FMV) and West/Southwest Victim Services, which provide services to victims and co-victims of the 12th, 16th, 18th, and 19th Police Districts.

Arias was raised in Miami, Florida, studied criminal justice at Temple University, and currently serves as 2021–2023 chair of the Philadelphia Coalition for Victim Advocacy.