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 Office on Violence Against Women awarded $488,146 to Abigail's Arms Cooke County Family Crisis Center under the Rural Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking Assistance Program (CFDA 16.589) on October 1, 2025.

Working in partnership with the Cooke County Sheriff's Office, Abigail's Arms will identify and assess victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking in rural Cooke County; establish and expand victim services including treatment, counseling, advocacy, and legal assistance; implement education and prevention strategies; and develop sexual assault forensic examination programs. The award funds a three-year initiative through September 30, 2028, with place of performance in Gainesville, Texas. The Rural Program authorizes funding to support victim-centered responses in rural communities through cooperative efforts among law enforcement, prosecutors, victim service providers, and related parties, and to increase safety and well-being of women and children by addressing these crimes directly and creating prevention awareness strategies.

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; 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, abigails arms cooke county family crisis center, in partnership with cooke county sheriffs office, will implement the enhancing safety and well-being of women and children in rural cooke county program. This victim service project addresses the following purpose area: 3 for cooke county, texas. Specific activities will include: 1) providing short term victim support services, 24/7 crisis response, crisis intervention, crisis counseling, safety planning, and education of victims' rights and resources; 2) providing long term victim support services: ongoing assessment of support needs, counseling, advocacy, safety planning, goal setting, legal advocacy and referral to outside resources; 3) creating and implementing strategies to increase awareness and prevent domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking; 4) training for staff and partners; 5) collaborative meetings to enhance the response to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking from the initial call to the adjudication of any criminal proceedings; 6) participating in OVW-sponsored training and technical assistance; 7) collecting and reporting performance indicators; and 8) providing services within statutorily defined rural areas and communities.