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

The County of Douglas, Nevada received a $750,000 Project Grant from the U.S. Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women under the Rural Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking Assistance Program (CFDA 16.589). The 36-month grant will fund a multi-disciplinary victim services project to enhance safety and provide comprehensive services for victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking in the rural Douglas County community. Key activities include: 1) providing crisis support, safety planning, and referrals to victims following incidents; 2) conducting thorough investigations to increase offender accountability; 3) assigning victims a single point of contact within the criminal justice system; and 4) supervising offenders and ensuring underserved populations have access to services. The project leverages partnerships between the County, District Attorney's Office, Sheriff's Office, and local victim service providers to implement a coordinated community response 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, the county of douglas, in partnership with the douglas county district attorney's office, the douglas county sheriff's office, the douglas county department of juvenile probation, the douglas county department of alternative sentencing, and the family support council of douglas county, will implement a multi-disciplinary victim services project for the nevada county of douglas. Specific activities will include: 1) contacting victims in crisis following an incident of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking by the svrt investigator to provide for the victim's immediate safety needs, support and crisis intervention; 2) conducting timely, complete and thorough investigations into reported incidents of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking to increase the potential for offender accountability through the collection of appropriate time sensitive evidence; 3) providing victims with a single point of contact within the criminal justice system to receive information related to their cases; 4) collaboratively reviewing all incidents reported to law enforcement of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking at weekly meetings and developing action plans to ensure that victims are aware of services and options available to them, and to ensure appropriate referrals of victims to services; 5) supervising pretrial and post-conviction offenders involved in domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault or stalking, including the use of court ordered no-contact conditions; and 6) responding to underserved populations with all reasonable accommodations, including retention of spanish translation services and training partners on inclusivity and barriers faced by lgbtq+ victims. The timing for performance of this award is 36 months.