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

The Union County Board of Commissioners received a $940,263 grant award under the U.S. Department of Justice's Rural Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking Assistance Program (CFDA 16.589). This 36-month project aims to increase the safety and well-being of women and children in rural Union County, Oregon by: 1) hiring a full-time sexual assault victim advocate, a part-time detective for trauma-informed sexual assault investigations, and a part-time probation officer for supervising offenders; 2) providing transportation, childcare, and housing emergency services for victims; 3) delivering training for law enforcement and prosecutors; and 4) enhancing forensic medical exams through new equipment and SANE training. The grant supports a collaborative effort involving the County Commissioners, Sheriff's Office, District Attorney's Office, Victim Assistance Program, Community Corrections, and local victim service providers.

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 union county board of commissioners, in partnership with the union county sheriffs office, the union county district attorneys office, the union county victims assistance program, community corrections parole and probation, MT. Emily safe center, and shelter from the storm, will implement a victim services projectto increase the safety and well-being of women and children in rural union county by providing direct and immediate services; implementing strategies to increase awareness to prevent domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking; and improving the quality of sexual assault forensic medical examinations and the sanes training program. Specifically, funding will support: 1) hiring a full-timesexual assault victim advocated housed at the district attorneys office, who will conduct culturally specific outreach and education on prevention, intervention and community awareness; 2) hiring a part-timedetective toconduct follow-up investigations on sexual assault incidents and develop and implement a trauma informed response training; 3) hiring a part-timeprobation officer tosupervise sexual assault offenders; 4) transportation, childcare and housing emergency services for victims of sexual assault; 5) training for law enforcement and prosecutors; and 6) enhancing forensic medical exam through the purchase of equipment and providing sexual assault nurse examiners training. The timing for performance of this award is 36 months.