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 Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas Inc. $500,000 on October 1, 2025, under the Rural Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking Assistance Program (CFDA 16.589).

The award funds victim services and response efforts in rural communities of southeast Kansas. CHC/SEK, a Federally Qualified Health Center based in Pittsburg, Kansas, is implementing the project in partnership with Safehouse Crisis Center Inc. The program operates through September 30, 2028, with place of performance in Pittsburg, Kansas.

The Rural Program authorizes funding to identify, assess, and respond to child, youth, and adult victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking; establish and expand victim services in rural communities; and increase safety and well-being through immediate intervention and prevention strategies. Grantees implement at least one of five strategies: cooperative efforts among law enforcement, prosecutors, and victim service providers; treatment, counseling, advocacy, legal assistance, and victim services; community education and prevention strategies; sexual assault program development and expansion; or programs addressing the specific needs of 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, community health center of southeast kansas, INC., in partnership with safehouse crisis center, INC. And the 11TH judicial district of kansas, will implementcommunity health center accountability, care, training, and safety for victims program in rural kansas. This victim service sexual assault nurse examiners (SANE) project addresses the following purpose areas 1, 2, 3, and 4 for cherokee, crawford, and labette counties.specific activitieswill include: 1) implementing a lethality assessment protocol and standardized strangulation evaluation; 2) convening a multidisciplinary community response team; 3) performing SANE exams and embedding healthcare services at safehouse crisis center; and 4) educating and training high school students, university students and staff, healthcare professionals, courts, and law enforcement.