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 continuation OVW rural program project, county of dawson, in partnership with a sexual assault nurse examiner, a licensed counselor, and dawson county sheriffs office (DCSO), will implement the providing holistic services in rural montana to victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking; enhancing sexual assault response; and outreach through education and prevention project. This victim services project addresses the following purpose areas: 1, 2, 3, and 4 for dawson, prairie, and wibaux counties in montana. Specific activities will include: 1) enhancingcrisis intervention, response strategies, and support services for victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking in rural eastern montana through training and community collaboration; 2) reinstatingthe sexual assault response team (SART); 3) reestablishing, enhancing, and strengthening sane services for victims of sexual assault; 4) promoting victim safety and well-being by providing crisis response and follow-up services for victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking while addressing the specific needs of rural and isolated victims; and 5) creatingand implementing prevention and awareness strategies for underserved rural communities in dawson, prairie, and wibaux counties, to include facilitating prevention curriculum for middle-school aged students. The timing for performance of this award is 36 months.