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

The U.S. Department of Justice's Office on Violence Against Women awarded a $400,000 three-year Culturally and Linguistically Specific Services Program (CFDA 16.016) grant to Hogar Nueva Mujer Santa Maria De La Merced, Inc., a non-profit domestic shelter organization in Puerto Rico. The grant will fund the organization's project to provide culturally relevant services to Hispanic victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking in the south-central region of Puerto Rico. Specific activities will include workshops, educational information, case management, referrals, individual and group therapy, legal support, and emergency assistance. The project aims to enhance traditional victim services through the leadership of this culturally specific program and provide services tailored to children exposed to domestic and sexual violence within the Hispanic community.

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, hogar nueva santa maria DE LA merced, INC. Will implement a project addressing the following purpose areas: purpose area 4 enhancing traditional services to victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking through the leadership of culturally specific programs offering services to victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking; and purpose area 6 - providing culturally specific programs for children exposed to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking for the hispanic community in the south-central region of puerto rico. Specific activities will include: 1) workshops and educational information; 2) case management and referrals; 3) individual and group therapy; 4) legal support; and 5) emergency assistance.