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's Office on Violence Against Women has awarded a $750,000 Project Grant under the Rural Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking Assistance Program (CFDA 16.589) to the Hope Justice Project (HJP) in Presque Isle, Maine. This 36-month grant will enable HJP and its partners, including the Aroostook County Sheriff's Office and several regional colleges, to implement a comprehensive victim service project addressing domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking in the Central and St. John Valley regions of Aroostook County. Key activities include: 1) providing outreach and 24-hour confidential hotline services to over 1,800 survivors, including bilingual advocacy for the French-speaking Acadian community; 2) improving the criminal justice system response through collaboration and training; 3) delivering immediate and ongoing support services such as shelter, transitional housing, legal representation, and health/education assistance; and 4) conducting outreach at three local college campuses. The project aims to enhance the safety and well-being of women and children in these rural communities.

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 continuation OVW rural program project, hope justice project (HJP), in partnership with the aroostook county sheriffs office, new ventures maine, fish river rural health, the university of maine at presque isle, the university of maine at fort kent, and northern maine community college, will implement the hope and justice project rural grant. This victim service project addresses the following purpose areas: 1, 2 and 3 for the central and ST. John valley regions of aroostook county. Specific activities will include: 1) providing outreach to at least 1,800 survivors through the hjps 24-hour confidential hotline, to include bilingual advocacy in the french speaking acadian community of the ST. John valley and sustain cooperative efforts between law enforcement officers and HJP advocates; 2) improving the criminal justice system response through collaboration with the aroostook county sheriffs office and the aroostook county task force on domestic violence and sexual assault (actfdvsa), coordinating trainings and collaborations, and continued coordination of best practices assessments and implementation of its recommendations; 3)providing immediate and ongoing support to survivors with needs such as shelter, transitional housing, support group, court advocacy, legal representation, child protection liaison support, transportation, financial literacy, health care, education, and permanent housing assistance; and 4) outreach to sites at three campuses, university of maine at fort kent, university of maine at presque isle, and northern maine community college. The project will addresspriority area 1: advance equity and tribal sovereignty through culturally appropriate and bilingual services to decrease barriers for french-speaking acadians. The timing for performance of this award is 36 months.