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

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 vermont center for crime victim services, in partnership with the vermont network against domestic and sexual violence, the vermont department for children and families, easterseals, aware, circle, clarina howard nichols center, outright vermont, mosaic vermont, and umbrella, will implement a victim serviceproject for the counties of caledonia, lamoille, orleans, essex, and washington in vermont. Specific activities will include: (1) conductingan assessment of victim-centered responses to sexual harm in the service area; (2) providing professional development for victim services agencies onservingsurvivors of sexual assault, with a focus on lgbtq+ youth, deliveringa window between worlds healing arts programming, and providing coordinated advocacy in pediatric sane cases; (3) providing comprehensive victim services including specialized child and youth services, individual and group support, advocacy, hot/helplines, home visits, emergency shelter, and services for lgbtq+ youth; and (4) implementing best practice-based prevention education for youth, and training for adults who work with youth to support their ability to address and prevent sexual assault and domestic violence. The timing for performance of this award is 36 months.