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 (OVW) awarded a $750,000 Project Grant under the Rural Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking Assistance Program (CFDA 16.589) to Haven House Family Services Center (HHFSC) in Wayne, Nebraska. Through this 36-month award, HHFSC and its partner organizations will implement a comprehensive victim service project to address domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking in the rural counties of Cedar, Dixon, Thurston, and Wayne. Key activities include: 1) expanding cooperative efforts among law enforcement, prosecutors, and victim service providers; 2) providing advocacy services and emergency shelter to victims; 3) delivering training to program partners and volunteers; 4) ensuring 24/7 access to victim services; and 5) conducting community education to prevent these crimes. The project aims to identify, assess, and respond to victims in these rural communities while creating prevention strategies tailored to the unique challenges they face.

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, haven house family services center (hhfsc), in partnership with cedar, dixon, thurston, and wayne county sheriff departments, wayne county attorney, and wayne city police department, will implement the hhfsc rural county domestic and dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking project. This victim service project addresses the following purpose areas: 1, 2, and 3 for cedar, dixon, thurston, and wayne counties in rural northeast nebraska. Specific activities will include: 1) expanding cooperative efforts and projects among law enforcement officers, prosecutors, victim advocacy groups, and other related parties to improve the response to rural victims; 2) providing advocacy services and emergency shelter to victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking; 3) providing training to program partners, advocates, and volunteers; 4) providing 24/7 access to victim services; and 5) providing prevention education to expand community knowledge. The timing for performance of this award is 36 months.