The rural domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking program (rural program) is authorized by 34 U.S.C. 12341

Rural program funds are used to support programs that: 1) identify, assess, and appropriately respond to child, youth, and adult victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking in rural communities; 2) establish and expand victim services in rural communities to child, youth, and adult victims; 3) increase the safety and well-being of women and children in rural communities, by (a) dealing directly and immediately with domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking; and (b) creating and implementing strategies to increase awareness and prevent these crimes; and 4) develop, expand, implement, and improve the quality of sexual assault forensic medical examination or sexual assault nurse examiner programs. Grantees must use at least one of the following strategies in implementing their projects: 1) implement, expand, and establish cooperative efforts and projects among law enforcement officers, prosecutors, victim service providers, and other related parties to investigate and prosecute incidents of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking; 2) provide treatment, counseling, advocacy, legal assistance, and other long-term and short-term victim and population specific services to adult and minor victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking in rural communities; 3) work in cooperation with the community to develop education and prevention strategies directed toward such issues; 4) develop, enlarge, or strengthen programs addressing sexual assault; and 5) develop programs and strategies that focus on the specific needs of victims of who reside in remote rural and geographically isolated areas. With this new rural domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking project, sitkans against family violence, in partnership with the organized village of kake, will implement a victim services projectfor the sitka, kake, and angoon regions of alaska. Specific activities targetingalaska native survivors will include: 1) establishingand expanding victim services that are culturally relevant; 2) working with localorganizations to ensurethat responders assisting victims of domestic violence and sexual assaultincorporateculturally appropriate practices; 3) coordinatinga sexual assault response team (sart) andestablishing a disability abuse response team (dart) toincrease accessibility to resources for underserved populations,4) providingsafety presentations for elementary school aged children in coordination with local school; 5) developing a cultural competency curriculum that can be used to teach staff and volunteers about tlingit culture in southeast alaska on an annual basis; and 6) providingsurvivors with access to traditional healing. The timing for performance of this award is 36 months.