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

The Young Women's Christian Association Of Lewiston-Clarkston, Inc., a non-profit domestic shelter, has received a $749,158 Rural Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking Assistance Program grant from the Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women (CFDA 16.589). This 36-month grant will enable the organization to hire three rural advocates to provide over 100 victims per year in North-Central Idaho with services such as secure shelter, support groups, medical and legal advocacy. The project will also coordinate with partners including local hospitals, police departments, sheriff's offices, and tribal organizations to expand access to services and conduct community awareness efforts in the rural service area.

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, ywca lewiston will partner with the NEZ perce `uyit kmti (new beginnings) program, syringa hospital in grangeville, clearwater valley hospital in orofino, ST. Marys hospital in cottonwood, the police departments of the cities of orofino, grangeville, cottonwood, NEZ perce tribal police, the sheriffs offices and prosecutors offices of clearwater county, idaho county, and lewis county. The north-central idaho rural service area includes clearwater, lewis, and idaho counties, and the NEZ perce reservation covers an area which overlaps each of these counties in the rural service areathat will be served by this project. Specific activities will include: 1) hiring three rural advocates to provide services to over 100 victims of sexual assault and domestic violence per year; 2) expanding access to services to include asecure shelter, support groups, medical and legal advocacy, and other supportive services; 3) providing services in orofino, grangeville and kamiah to increase access to services for victims in these remote areas; 4) coordinating with OVW technical assistance to provide local training on domestic violence, sexual assault, trauma responses and training for sexual assault nurse examiners; and 5)conducting community awareness efforts that include advertising monthly in local community newspapers, distributing brochures throughout the rural service area, and producinga resource and information guide. The timing for performance of this award is 36 months.