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

The U.S. Department of Justice's Office on Violence Against Women awarded a $750,000 Project Grant under the Rural Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking Assistance Program (CFDA #16.589) to T.e.s.s.a., a non-profit organization in Colorado. Over the 36-month grant period, the funds will enable T.e.s.s.a. to partner with local agencies across Colorado's 4th Judicial District to deliver a range of services for survivors in rural communities. Key activities include: convening a domestic violence high-risk response team, establishing additional safe service locations, co-locating confidential victim advocates, providing trauma-informed counseling, implementing referral systems, conducting outreach and education, and collaborating with rural school districts on prevention programming. The grant aims to enhance safety and well-being for child, youth, and adult victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking in rural areas.

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 continuation rural domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking grant award, tessa, in partnership with uchealth pikes peak regional hospital, the teller county sheriffs department, woodland park police department, the town of woodland park, teller county department of human services, the aspen mine center, storehouse ministry/woodland park community church, UTE pass regional health care district, southwest teller county EMS, and rampart library district, EL paso county sheriffs office, pikes peak library district, and hanover school district 28, will implement victim service projectfor colorados 4TH judicial district, which encompasses teller county and 11 rural census tracts in eastern EL paso county. Specific activities will include: 1) convening the new multi-sector domestic violence high-risk response team (dvhrrt) for teller county; 2) securing at least one additional site in rural EL paso county that provides a safe option where rural victims/youth can access domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking (dvdvsast) support services; 3) CO-locating and maintaining rural confidential advocates in locations that are accessible and safe for rural victims and their children; 4) providing trauma-informed services and counseling to survivors at any stage of recovery; 5) working with survivors and partners to create community-based options for safe child and animal care when a dvdvsast victim chooses to leave an abusive situation; 6) implementing referral systems among projectpartners to support trauma-informed crisis response, victim services, and extended case management; 7) initiating dvdvsast awareness outreach and education training campaigns in rural counties; and 8) collaborating with at least one rural EL paso county school district to identify dvdvsast issues and develop and implement awareness programming. The timing for performance of this award is 36 months.