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 Associated: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore, Inc., a non-profit organization, received a $570,546 Project Grant award from the U.S. Department of Justice's Office on Violence Against Women under the Grants for Outreach and Services to Underserved Populations (CFDA 16.889) program. The funding supports the organization's efforts to address intimate partner violence within Baltimore's Jewish community through enhanced outreach, training, and direct victim services.

Key activities include: 1) dismantling misconceptions that intimate partner violence does not occur in the Jewish community through education of community members, clergy, and institutions; 2) expanding access to trauma-informed and culturally responsive mental health professionals by training them on intimate partner violence dynamics specific to the Jewish community; and 3) providing culturally sensitive direct services such as safety planning, counseling, and court accompaniment to Jewish victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. The Associated has partnered with the Pro Bono Counseling Project 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. Chana, a culturally responsive domestic violence agency of the associated: jewish federation of baltimore, seeks funding to address the profound need for outreach and education about IPV, which includes domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking, as well as direct services within the underserved, insular jewish community. This project is entitled, enhanced outreach, training and services to support baltimore's jewish victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking. This grant will enable chana to address the misconception that intimate partner violence (IPV) does not occur in the baltimore jewish community, break down barriers for victims of abuse and increase access to culturally responsive services. Chana will accomplish this goal by implementing the following strategies: 1) dismantling the belief that jewish domestic violence does not exist by educating community members, clergy, and institutions about IPV and the availability of services that are responsive to the specific needs of jewish victims. 2) expanding access to trauma-informed, culturally responsive mental health professionals by educating them on IPV dynamics, specifically within the jewish community. 3) providing culturally sensitive and accessible direct services to jewish victims of IPV. Chana, the applicant and lead agency on this project, will partner with the pro bono counseling project (pbcp) through an MOU.