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 by encouraging collaboration among victim service providers, law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, courts, other criminal justice service providers, human and community service providers, educational institutions, and health care providers; 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. Through this new OVW rural program project, safe journeys, in partnership with mendota community hospital D/B/a OSF saint paul medical center, ottawa regional hospital & healthcare center D/B/a OSF ST. Elizabeth, lasalle county state's attorney's office, and lasalle county sheriff's office, will implement a project to expand and enhance services and collaboration to respond to and prevent sexual violence, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking in lasalle and livingston counties in illinois. This victim service project addresses the following purpose areas: 1, 2,and 3. Specific activities will include: 1) establishing a multidisciplinary team that primarily focuses on sexual assault (sexual assault response team) but also addresses strangulation and high-risk cases of domestic violence to prevent homicides; 2) conducting systems assessments regarding responses to sexual assault; 3) developing policies and procedures regarding responses to sexual assault, strangulation, and high risk domestic violence cases; 4) expanding training to persons who work in the criminal justice, court, victim service, and health care systems; 5) expanding victim services related to case management, therapy, and crisis response; 6) establishing collaborate trauma-informed medical follow up services; and 7) providing funding to meet the transportation and housing needs of sexual assault survivors. The project will address the following priority area:strengthen efforts to prevent and end sexual assault. The timing for performance of this award is 36 months.