The grants to enhance culturally specific services for victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking program is authorized by 34 U.S.C. 20124

The U.S. Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women awarded a $450,000 Culturally and Linguistically Specific Services Program (CFDA 16.016) project grant to Hope House Day Care Center, Inc. The grant will fund a 3-year project to provide culturally specific services and resources for African American/Black victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking crimes in the Greater Memphis, Tennessee area. Key services to be delivered include individual counseling, support groups, emergency financial/housing assistance, legal advocacy, crisis intervention, safety planning, transportation, and referrals. The project will tailor these services to meet the needs of a large population of people of color and LGBTQIA+ individuals to create a holistic, trauma-informed, and culturally sensitive program. The project addresses statutory purpose areas such as increasing community capacity, developing culturally specific education and prevention strategies, and examining the dynamics of culture and its impact on victimization and healing.

This program supports the maintenance and replication of existing successful community-based programs providing culturally specific services to victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking, as well as the development of innovative culturally specific strategies to enhance access to services and resources for victims who face obstacles to using more traditional programs. Culturally specific services means community-based services that include culturally relevant and linguistically specific services and resources to culturally specific communities which are statutorily defined as american indians (including alaska natives, eskimos, and aleuts); asian americans; native hawaiians and other pacific islanders; blacks; and hispanics. Projects must address at least one of the programs statutory purpose areas. Through this new culturally specific services program project, hope house will implement a project addressing the following purpose areas: increasing communities capacity to provide culturally specific resources and support for victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking crimes and their families; working in cooperation with the community to develop education and prevention strategies highlighting culturally specific issues and resources regarding victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking; providing culturally specific resources and services that address the safety, economic, housing, and workplace needs of victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking, including emergency assistance; and examining the dynamics of culture and its impact on victimization and healing. The hope house day care center culturally specific services project will serve african american/black individuals who are living with HIV, with over 35% of program participants in the victim services program identifying as lgbtqia+, in the greater memphis, tennessee area. Specific activities will include: individual counseling, support groups, moving assistance, emergency financial support, rental assistance, law enforcement, court, personal and landlord advocacy, information about the criminal justice process, victim rights, how to obtain notifications, referral to other services, supports, and resources, crisis intervention, safety planning, notification of criminal justice events, and transportation assistance. Project staff will tailor services to meet the needs of a large population of people of color and lgbtqia+ community and create a holistic, trauma-informed and culturally sensitive space for clients to access services and information.