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 Southwest Crisis Center $750,000 on October 1, 2025, under the Rural Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking Assistance Program (CFDA 16.589).

The award funds a continuation project serving rural Southwest Minnesota through October 1, 2022, through September 30, 2028. Southwest Crisis Center, working in partnership with Standpoint and the Mountain Lake Police Department, implements victim services including counseling, advocacy, and legal assistance for adult and minor victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. The project establishes cooperative initiatives among law enforcement, prosecutors, and victim service providers to investigate and prosecute these offenses, develops community education and prevention strategies, and strengthens sexual assault forensic examination programs in geographically isolated areas.

Place of performance is Worthington, Minnesota. This is a Project Grant assistance type.

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 continuation OVW rural program project, the southwest crisis center, in partnership with standpoint, the mountain lake police department and the lakefield police department, will implement improving access, response, and support services for victims of domestic and sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking program. This victim services project will address purpose areas 1, 2, and 3 for cottonwood, jackson, murray, nobles, pipestone, and rock counties. Specific activities will include: 1) providing court advocacy, safety planning, support groups, legal representation and advocacy; 2) supporting systems improvement through case file review with law enforcement and attorneys offices and convening a multi-disciplinary team; and 3) increasing referrals for services.