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	Phone: (215) 686-2115

Announcements

Announcement

Philadelphia Peacekeepers Institute – Cohort 2 Announcement

May 18, 2026

Announcement

Philadelphia Peacekeepers Institute – Cohort 2 Announcement

The Institute

The Office of Public Safety in partnership with The Roca Impact Institute is launching Cohort 2 of the Philadelphia Peacekeepers Institute, an intensive 8-week professional development training program for community violence intervention (CVI) professionals working in the field.

The Peacekeeper’s Institute is the first in the nation built around Roca’s Rewire CBT, a cognitive behavioral intervention designed to equip frontline staff to help high-risk individuals learn and practice the lifesaving skills they need to heal from trauma and make healthier choices.

The 8-week curriculum was built to reflect the real needs of Philadelphia’s CVI field practitioners. Participants will engage in rigorous learning that will expose them to best practices, equip them with concrete tools for the day-to-day work, help them understand and manage trauma, and create a professional network and supportive community within Philadelphia’s CVI ecosystem.

Curriculum Topics

Rewire CBT and Trauma Responsive Strategies

Professional Standards of Practice for CVI

Outreach, Engagement, & Relationships

How to be an Effective Case Manager and Advocate

Supervision and Support

How to Tell Your Story

Stop the Bleed + Narcan Training

History of CVI in Philadelphia

Cohort 2 Details
Dates: July 28th – September 15, 2026
Every Tuesday, 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Key Partners

Host: City of Philadelphia Office of Public Safety (OPS)

Implementation & Curriculum Partner: Roca Impact Institute

Evaluation Partner: Black and Brown Collective

Cohort 2 Eligibility

In Cohort 2, the Philadelphia’s Peacekeepers Institute will focus on organizations that implement evidence-informed, community-based strategies to prevent and reduce firearm violence through structured outreach, violence intervention, case management, supportive services, and partnerships with institutions such as hospitals, schools, local governments, and community service providers.
This includes both community-based and hospital-based violence intervention programs.

The Institute is designed specifically to support the learning of CVI professionals working in the field, directly with high-risk individuals. This includes, but is not limited to:

Outreach workers

Case managers

Field supervisors

HVIP case workers

All interested organizations are encouraged to attend a virtual info session and submit an interest form.

Virtual Info Sessions:

Wednesday, May 20th (12PM)

Wednesday, May 27th (12PM)

Wednesday, June 3rd (12PM)

Interest Form:

Submit Here: bit.ly/ppicohort2interest

June 5th , 2026 (5PM) – Deadline to Submit

Timeline for Next Steps:

June 15th – Eligible Organizations Will be Notified

June 26th – Deadline for Eligible Organizations to Nominate Staff Members

July 10th – Deadline for Nominated Staff Members to Confirm their Participation

July 28th – Cohort 2 Begins

Organizations not eligible for Cohort 2 will receive notification of their status by June 19th.

Announced on: May 18, 2026 Office of the Victim Advocate, Office of Public Safety, Division of Safe Neighborhoods, Division of Reentry, Division of Criminal Justice, Town Watch Integrated Services

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.

More +

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.