The grants to enhance culturally specific services for victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking program is authorized by 34 U.S.C. 20124

This $475,000 Project Grant award from the U.S. Department of Justice's Office on Violence Against Women, under the Culturally and Linguistically Specific Services Program (CFDA 16.016), will enable Freedom Inc., a minority-owned, woman-owned non-profit organization in Madison, Wisconsin, to implement a project addressing multiple statutory purpose areas. The project will:

1. Provide housing assistance and referrals, legal services and advocacy, crisis management, support groups, and cultural/historical workshops and trainings to support Black and South Asian victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking in Dane County, Wisconsin.
2. Work in cooperation with the community to develop education and prevention strategies highlighting culturally specific issues and resources for these populations.

The three-year project period runs from October 1, 2024 to September 30, 2027.

This program supports the maintenance and replication of existing successful community-based programs providing culturally specific services to victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking, as well as the development of innovative culturally specific strategies to enhance access to services and resources for victims who face obstacles to using more traditional programs. Culturally specific services means community-based services that include culturally relevant and linguistically specific services and resources to culturally specific communities which are statutorily defined as american indians (including alaska natives, eskimos, and aleuts); asian americans; native hawaiians and other pacific islanders; blacks; and hispanics. Projects must address at least one of the programs statutory purpose areas. Through this new culturally specific services program project, freedom INC. Will implement a project addressing multiple purpose areas including: purpose area 2 - increasing communities capacity to provide culturally specific resources and support for victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking crimes and their families; purpose area 4 - enhancing traditional services to victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking through the leadership of culturally specific programs; and purpose area 5 - working in cooperation with the community to develop education and prevention strategies highlighting culturally specific issues and resources for blacks and south asians in dane county, wisconsin. The project will address priority area 2: strengthening efforts to prevent and end sexual assault. Specific activities will include: 1) housing assistance and referrals; 2) legal services and advocacy; 3) crisis management; 4) support groups; and 5) cultural/historical workshops and trainings.