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 $500,000 Project Grant under the Rural Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking Assistance Program (CFDA 16.589) to La Casa, Inc., a domestic violence service organization in Las Cruces, New Mexico. The 36-month grant will fund the implementation of the Southern NM Border Culturally Responsive Rural Program Project, which aims to:

1. Establish the first domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking program in Hatch, New Mexico;
2. Create a multidisciplinary team to serve child, youth, and adult victims;
3. Employ two victim advocates;
4. Provide emergency shelter, advocacy, housing assistance, legal aid, transportation, and other support services to underserved populations including immigrants, LGBTQ individuals, persons with disabilities, and older adults;
5. Build capacity and enhance victim services through collaboration with local agencies; and
6. Deliver prevention education to the community.

This grant supports the program's objectives of identifying, assessing, and responding to domestic and sexual violence in rural areas through comprehensive, collaborative strategies.

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, LA casa, INC. In partnership with DOA ANA county sheriffs office and hatch valley public schools, will implement the southern NM border culturally responsive rural program project. This victim service project addresses the following purpose areas: 1, 2, and 3 for hatch, new mexico in DOA ANA county. Specific activities will include: 1) creating the first domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking program in hatch, NM; (2) establishing one multidisciplinary team (MDT) to serve children, youth, and adult victims of the vawa crimes; 3) funding two victim advocates one employed by the lead agency, and one employed by project partner DOA ANA county sheriffs office; 4) providing emergency shelter, advocacy, housing assistance, legal assistance, transportation, and other long and short term assistance to children, youth, and adult victims of the vawa crimes with an emphasis on underserved populations that include immigrants and undocumented individuals, lgbtq, individuals with disabilities, and individuals who are over age 50; 5) working with local agencies to build capacity and to enhance current victim services; (6) building capacity with local agencies to enhance current victim services; 7) providing prevention education to children, youth and adults; and 8) collecting and reporting on performance indicators. The project will address priority area 1: advance equity and tribal sovereignty. This project targets the following underserved populations: immigrants and undocumented individuals, lgbtq, individuals with disabilities, and individuals who are over age 50. The timing for performance of this award is 36 months.