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

The Office on Violence Against Women awarded the County of Nevada $500,000 on October 1, 2025, under the Rural Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking Assistance Program (CFDA 16.589) to develop and establish victim services in rural Nevada County.

The County of Nevada, in partnership with Community Beyond Violence, will implement the Family Justice initiative to identify, assess, and respond to child, youth, and adult victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking in rural communities. The program supports victim services including treatment, counseling, advocacy, legal assistance, and long-term and short-term support tailored to rural and geographically isolated areas. Performance runs through September 30, 2028, with work conducted in Nevada City, California.

The Rural Domestic Violence Program funds projects that establish and expand victim services, increase safety and well-being in rural communities through direct response and prevention strategies, and develop or improve sexual assault forensic medical examination and nurse examiner programs. Grantees must employ at least one of five specified implementation strategies, including cooperative efforts among law enforcement, prosecutors, and victim service providers; provision of treatment and advocacy services; community-based education and prevention; sexual assault program development; or targeted support for victims in remote and geographically isolated areas.

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, the county of nevada, in partnership with community beyond violence, will develop and establish the family justice center of nevada county. This victim services project addresses the following purpose areas: 1, 2, and 3 for nevada county california. Specific activities will include: 1) centralizing and streamlining trauma-informed, culturally responsive services for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking through a newly established coordinated, CO-located family justice center; 2) developing tools and protocols to identify, assess, and case manage high-risk cases through a multidisciplinary team; and 3) providing comprehensive training for police, prosecutors, law enforcement officers and service-providers to effectively recognize, investigate, and prosecute sexual assault and SEX trafficking cases and support victims.