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

The Department of Justice's Office on Violence Against Women has awarded a $700,000 Project Grant under the Rural Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking Assistance Program (CFDA 16.589) to Saheli, dba Asian Family Support Services of Austin. The 36-month grant will support a comprehensive victim service, Sexual Assault Response Team (SART), and criminal justice systems advocacy project addressing domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking in six rural counties in Central Texas. Key activities include providing culturally specific direct services to underserved rural Asian survivors, developing community education and outreach initiatives, and delivering systems advocacy to enhance collaboration between victim service providers, law enforcement, courts, and allied service providers. The project specifically targets rural, Asian survivors with intersectional identities such as LGBTQIA+, limited English proficiency, and immigrant status.

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, saheli DBA asian family support services of austin, in partnership with highland lakes family crisis center and family crisis center, will implement rural services and systems advocacy for underserved survivors in six rural counties incentral texas (bastrop, LEE, fayette and burnet, blanco, and llano). This comprehensive victim service, sart, criminal justice systems advocacy project addresses purpose areas 1,2, and 3. Specific activities will include: 1) providing culturally specific direct services to rural underserved victims of abuse with emphasis on non-IPV sexual violence survivors; 2) developing culturally specific community education and outreach services in rural communities; 3) providing culturally specific systems advocacy for survivors in partnership with mainstream crisis shelters, criminal justice systems including law enforcement, courts, and allied systems of care such as health clinics, rural hospitals, sane providers, and community-based services. The project will address priority area 1 and 2. This project targets the following underserved populations: rural, asian survivors of domestic and sexual violence who have intersectional underserved identities such as lbgtqia+, limited english proficient, alienage status, and others as they arise. The timing for performance of this award is 36 months.