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 YWCA of Greater Cincinnati has received a $598,436 Project Grant award from the U.S. Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women under the Grants for Outreach and Services to Underserved Populations (CFDA 16.889) program. The 3-year grant, effective October 1, 2023, will support the organization's Project CARE initiative to provide comprehensive, trauma-informed services for individuals with mental health, physical, intellectual, and developmental disabilities who are impacted by or at risk of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, human trafficking, and stalking in the Greater Cincinnati/Hamilton County, Ohio area. Key activities include developing population-specific victim services, enhancing outreach and accessibility, building capacity of service providers, and offering training for criminal justice stakeholders. The YWCA will collaborate with partners such as Hamilton County Developmental Disabilities Services, Greater Cincinnati Behavioral Health Services, and End Slavery Cincinnati to deliver these services.

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. Project care (community, accessibility, response, and education) is a community collaborative located in greater cincinnati/ hamilton county, ohio (southwest ohio) area, providing services to individuals with mental health, physical, or intellectual and developmental disabilities and d/deaf hard of hearing (henceforth disabilities), impacted or at risk for domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, human trafficking, intimate partner violence, and stalking. Project care is driven by the vision that people living with disabilities be empowered to access highly effective and seamless services that are welcoming, comprehensive, and without barriers. Cares focuses on enhanced strategies that address the unmet needs of victims/survivors including trauma-informed peer advocacy models, comprehensive prevention and intervention services, comprehensive training programs, and direct advocacy to victims/survivors. MOU partners serves individuals with disabilities and include: hamilton county developmental disabilities services (disability service provider); greater cincinnati behavioral health services (mental health service provider); cincinnati childrens mayerson center for safe & healthy children (hospital); southern ohio sexuality education and consultation services, LLC (healthy sexuality educational provider); planned parenthood of southwest ohio region (healthy sexuality educational provider); and end slavery cincinnati (human trafficking victim service provider).