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

The Gulf Coast Center For Nonviolence, Inc. was awarded a $500,000 Project Grant under the U.S. Department of Justice's Office on Violence Against Women's (OVW) Rural Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking Assistance Program (CFDA 16.589). This 36-month award will support the "Support for Rural Survivors Project" across six rural counties in Mississippi. Key activities include: 1) hiring peer support specialists to work with local court systems to provide victims with timely access to counseling, advocacy, and legal assistance; 2) hiring educators to conduct outreach and education on domestic abuse, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking in the six counties; 3) collaborating with partner counties to require personnel training on these issues; and 4) providing training and education for court personnel and rural populations. The project aims to identify, assess, and respond to child, youth, and adult victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking in these rural communities through enhanced collaboration and service provision.

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, the gulf coast center for nonviolence, INC, in partnership with domestic abuse family shelter, INC., and the boards of supervisors of george, greene, marion, pearl river, perry and stone counties in mississippi, will implement support for rural survivors project. This project addresses the following purpose areas: 1, 2, and 3 for rural counties of george, greene, marion, pearl river, perry, and stone in mississippi. Specific activities will include: 1) hiring peer support specialists to work directly within and collaborate with the court systems of the partner counties to enable more timely contact with victims for treatment, counseling, advocacy, and legal assistance; 2) hiring educators to provide outreach and education in the six counties related to domestic abuse, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking; 3) collaboration of the partner counties to require the participation of personnel in training related to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking; and 4) providing training and education for court personnel and rural populations by project staff. The timing for the performance of this award is 36 months.