The grants for outreach and services to underserved populations (underserved program) was statutorily created in the violence against women reauthorization act of 2013 (vawa 2013) to develop and…

This Project Grant award of $600,000 was provided by the U.S. Department of Justice's Office on Violence Against Women under the Grants for Outreach and Services to Underserved Populations (CFDA 16.889) program. The grant supports Rahama Inc., a minority-owned, woman-owned non-profit organization, to develop and implement outreach strategies and provide victim services targeted at adult and youth survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking within the Muslim community in Buffalo, NY. Key products and services to be delivered include: creating comprehensive domestic violence services tailored to the Muslim community, training 2 peer mentors each year, providing at least 30 trainings and 30 community education events, developing program brochures in Burmese and Farsi, and creating awareness video recordings. The 3-year grant period runs from October 1, 2024 through September 30, 2027, with the goal of serving 600 primary and secondary survivors annually.

The grants for outreach and services to underserved populations (underserved program) was statutorily created in the violence against women reauthorization act of 2013 (vawa 2013) to develop and implement outreach strategies targeted at adult or youth victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking in underserved populations, and to provide victim services to meet the needs of such populations. Grant funds may be used to: 1) work with federal, state, tribal, territorial, and local governments, agencies, and organizations to develop or enhance population specific victim services; 2) strengthen the capacity of underserved populations to provide population specific victim services; 3) strengthen the capacity of traditional victim service providers to provide population specific victim services; 4) strengthen the effectiveness of criminal and civil justice interventions by providing training for law enforcement, prosecutors, judges, and other court personnel on domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking in underserved populations; 5) work in cooperation with an underserved population to develop and implement outreach, education, prevention, and intervention strategies that highlight available resources and the specific issues faced by victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking from underserved populations; or, 6) strengthen the response of social and human services by providing population-specific training for service providers on domestic violence, dating violence sexual assault, or stalking in underserved populations. Eligible applicants are limited to: population specific organizations or victim service providers that are (1) deaf programs (2) lesbian, GAY, bisexual, and transgender (lgbt) organizations, (3) organizations serving underserved religious populations, (4) disability programs, or (5) organizations serving certain underserved racial and ethnic populations. Rahamas goal is to break the generational trauma of domestic violence and get women out of domestic violence situations. The muslim community often chooses silence and secrecy about domestic violence, and IT pressures women not to report and to just have sabr (patience). Rahamas program provides culturally specific, trauma informed, multi-tiered services to guide women and their children out of a domestic violence situation, and onto independence, in partnership with our ummah of care. Rahama provides extensive outreach and educational programming, to ensure that the broad community understands that services are available and muslim women need not be in unsafe living conditions. Rahama plans on serving 600 primary and secondary survivors each year of grant award. Create comprehensive DV muslim friendly service delivery, train two peer mentors each award year, provide at minimum 30 trainings, 30 community education events, develop brochures in burmese and farsi. Develop presentations for new audiences, create awareness video recordings, feedback surveys, and train six new muslim community partners.