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

This $750,000 Project Grant, awarded by the U.S. Department of Justice's Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) under the Rural Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking Assistance Program (CFDA 16.589), will support the Illinois Valley Safehouse Alliance (The Alliance) in implementing the "Safe Communities Create Safe Families" project over a 36-month period from October 1, 2024 to September 30, 2027. The project aims to enhance victim safety and improve community responses to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking in rural Josephine County, Oregon. Key activities include providing core victim services through a walk-in support center and 24/7 crisis hotline, collaborating with law enforcement and community partners to increase safety for victims, working with the Tolowa Dee-Ni' Tribal Nation to support tribal members, and developing policies and procedures to improve access to sexual assault services. The project specifically targets underserved populations such as victims in geographically isolated rural communities, LGBTQ2S individuals, the elderly, and Hispanic and tribal members.

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, illinois valley safe house alliance, in partnership with josephine county sheriff, illinois valley fire district, tolowa DEE-NI' tribal nation, and oregon attorney general's sexual assault task force, will implement the safe communities create safe families project. This victim service project addresses the following purpose areas: 1, 2, and 3 for illinois valley in josephine county, oregon. Specific activities will include: 1) providing core victim services in the walk-in support center five days a week and respond to crisis hotline 24 hours a day, 7 days a week; 2) responding to law enforcement, partner organization and other community organizations when requested; 3) working with josephine county high risk team to increase safety for victims; 4) working with tolowa DEE-NI' tribal nation to increase safety for tribal members and their families; and 5) working with the attorney general's sexual assault task force to develop and implement policies and procedures to increase access to services for sexual assault victims. The project will address priority area 1: advance equity and tribal sovereignty. This project targets the following underserved populations: victims who live in geographically isolated rural communities, LGBTQ2S, elderly, tribal and hispanic victims who are historically underserved due to lack of available and accessible resources to deal immediately and directly with sexual assault and rape. The timing for performance of this award is 36 months.