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 El Pueblo $498,562 under the Rural Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking Assistance Program (CFDA 16.589) on October 1, 2025.

El Pueblo, in partnership with Catholic Charities Jackson, implements Seeds of Safety: Bilingual Advocacy, a project that identifies, assesses, and responds to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking in rural Mississippi communities. The project establishes and expands victim services, including treatment, counseling, advocacy, and legal assistance for adult and minor victims, while enhancing sexual assault forensic examination capacity in rural areas. The award funds bilingual victim advocacy and support in the Biloxi, Mississippi area through September 30, 2028.

The Rural Program supports strategies to increase safety and well-being in rural communities by responding directly to these crimes and implementing awareness and prevention activities. Grantees must employ at least one required strategy, including cooperative efforts among law enforcement, prosecutors, and victim service providers; direct victim services; community education and prevention work; or programs targeting the specific needs of victims in remote, 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, EL pueblo in partnership with catholic charities jackson, will implement seeds of safety: bilingual advocacy and trauma therapy program in scott county. This victim service project addresses the followingpurpose areas:1 and 3 for scott county, mississippi and the surrounding rural areas. Specific activities will include:1) trauma-informed advocacy and safety planning; 2) dedicated trauma therapy; 3) ongoing case management; 4) community education and outreach; 5) professional training for law enforcement, healthcare providers, and social services on identifying and responding to domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and human trafficking; 6) coalition building and coordinated response; 7) formalizing and expanding a local network of partnersincluding law enforcement, healthcare, schools, and social service agenciesto strengthen referrals, share expertise, and reduce duplication. During the project, the recipient will develop the following products: brochures, flyers, and posters, social media content, community workshop curricula and handouts, trauma-informed safety planning templates, and professional training curriculum and slide decks.