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 Southeast Missouri Network Against Sexual Violence, Inc., $950,000 under the Rural Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking Assistance Program (CFDA 16.589) on October 1, 2025. The three-year continuation grant, running through September 30, 2028, funds expanded sexual assault forensic examination capacity, evidence-based prevention programming, mental health and counseling services, survivor advocacy and support, and professional training initiatives serving rural communities in Southeast Missouri. Place of performance is Jackson, Missouri. The Rural Program supports identification, assessment, and appropriate response to child, youth, and adult victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking in rural communities; establishment and expansion of victim services; increased safety and well-being through prevention and awareness strategies; and development or improvement of sexual assault forensic medical examination and nurse examiner programs. Grantees implement at least one of five prescribed strategies, including cooperative efforts among law enforcement, prosecutors, and victim service providers; provision of treatment, counseling, advocacy, and legal assistance to victims; community-based education and prevention; programs addressing sexual assault; or services targeting 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 continuation OVW rural program project, southeast missouri network against sexual violence INC., in partnership with the following offices of the sheriff and prosecuting attorney who form multi-disciplinary teams (bollinger county MDT, mississippi county MDT, new madrid county MDT, pemiscot county MDT, perry county MDT, scott county MDT, and stoddard county MDT), delta area economic opportunity corporation, mercy southeast, and susanna wesley family learning center, will implement enhancing and expanding sexual assault services in rural southeast missouri program. This project addresses the following purpose areas: 1, 2, 3, and 4 for bollinger, mississippi, new madrid, pemiscot, perry, scott, and stoddard counties in southeast missouri. Specific activities will include: 1) providing wraparound sexual assault victim services including forensic examinations and interviews, counseling and crisis intervention; 2) expanding service capacity and sane network; 3) developing healthcare relationships to increase the amount of victims semo-nasv services through hiring a 1 FTE senior forensic nurse examiner and a 0.5 FTE forensic interviewer; 4) increasing prevention programming through employing two 0.5 FTE prevention specialists; 5) providing support and ongoing mental health services for survivors through employing a 0.5 FTE therapist; 6) providing expanded advocacy services through employing a 1 FTE senior advocate and a 0.5 FTE advocate; and 7) providing training and support to all MDT participants.