The grants for outreach and services to underserved populations (underserved program) was statutorily created in the violence against women reauthorization act of 2013 to develop and implement…

The Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women awarded a $600,000 Project Grant under the Grants for Outreach and Services to Underserved Populations (CFDA 16.889) program to Disability Rights Wisconsin, Inc. The grant, entitled "Supporting Survivors with Disabilities", will be used to: 1) provide education and training to law enforcement, prosecutors, social service providers, and others on working with survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault who have disabilities; 2) deliver direct victim support services to survivors with disabilities or through co-advocacy with local victim service providers; and 3) create and deliver a train-the-trainer curriculum on healthy and safe relationships for this population. The project aims to empower, support, and advocate for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault with disabilities by enhancing community response and providing population-specific services. The award period is October 1, 2023 through September 30, 2026.

The grants for outreach and services to underserved populations (underserved program) was statutorily created in the violence against women reauthorization act of 2013 to develop and implement outreach strategies targeted at adult or youth victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking in underserved populations, and to provide victim services to meet the needs of such populations. Grant funds may be used to: 1) work with federal, state, tribal, territorial, and local governments, agencies, and organizations to develop or enhance population specific victim services; 2) strengthen the capacity of underserved populations to provide population specific victim services; 3) strengthen the capacity of traditional victim service providers to provide population specific victim services; 4) strengthen the effectiveness of criminal and civil justice interventions by providing training for law enforcement, prosecutors, judges, and other court personnel on domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking in underserved populations; 5) work in cooperation with an underserved population to develop and implement outreach, education, prevention, and intervention strategies that highlight available resources and the specific issues faced by victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking from underserved populations; or (6) provide population-specific training for social and human services providers on domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking in underserved populations. The project is entitled supporting survivors with disabilities. The goal of the project is to empower, support, and advocate for survivors of DV/SA with disabilities (hereinafter SWD). The project seeks to bring what was learned from theinitial FY2019 project to a larger circle of responders to continue to empower SWD. The project will enhance community response by providing education to law enforcement, prosecutors, adult/child protection workers, disability service providers and others about working with SWD. The project will support SWD by providing direct victim support services to SWD or within a CO-advocacy model with local victim services providers. The project partners will create and provide a train-the-trainer series on teaching my relationships, my choices, the healthy and safe relationships curriculum that was developed in our FY2019 grant.