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 Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) awarded a $500,000 Rural Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking Assistance Program (CFDA 16.589) grant to the Ohio Hispanic Coalition in partnership with the Ohio Domestic Violence Network. Over a 36-month period, the funding will support the implementation of a victim services project for Latino/Hispanic communities in eight rural Ohio counties. Key activities include:

1. Hiring a bilingual Promotora Specialist (victim advocate/case manager) to provide culturally and linguistically appropriate direct services such as case management, crisis intervention, court accompaniment, advocacy, and immigration assistance.

2. Developing and delivering culturally responsive education and prevention efforts in collaboration with rural community partners and Latino/Hispanic leaders.

3. Implementing outreach approaches to focus on the unique needs of remote, geographically isolated Latino/Hispanic victims facing transportation, immigration status, and technology barriers.

The project aims to enhance safety and well-being, increase access to services, and strengthen community-based responses for Latino/Hispanic victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking in the targeted 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 new rural domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking grant award, the ohio hispanic coalition, in partnership with the ohio domestic violence network, will implement a victim services projectfor the counties of defiance, lorain, sandusky, fulton, henry, huron, putnam, and wood in ohio. Specific activities for latino/hispanic communities will include: 1) hiring a latino/a, bilingual, community member from the service area trained to provide direct services as promotora specialist (victim advocate/case manager); 2) providing culturally-specific/linguistically-appropriate case management, crisis intervention, court accompaniment, personal advocacy, medical/legal advocacy, immigration assistance, client transportation, and other short/long-term services rural, latino/hispanic victims may need; 3) developing culturally-specific/linguistically-appropriate education and prevention efforts in collaboration with rural community partners and latino/hispanic community leaders; and 4) implementing culturally-responsive approaches (door-to-door canvassing, partnership with community leaders and service providers) to focus on specific needs of rural, latino/hispanic victims in remote rural and geographically isolated areas due to transportation, immigration status, and technology barriers. The timing for performance of this award is 36 months.