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 Sanders County Coalition For Families $720,000 on October 1, 2025, under the Rural Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking Assistance Program (CFDA 16.589) to enhance cooperative law enforcement and victim services in Sanders County, Montana. The award funds a partnership with the Sanders County Sheriff's Office that reimburses wages for a full-time detective dedicated to responding to and investigating crimes of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking across Sanders County. The Rural Program supports identifying, assessing, and responding to victims in rural communities; establishing and expanding victim services; increasing safety and well-being through immediate response and crime prevention strategies; and developing or improving sexual assault forensic examination programs. Recipients must employ at least one implementation strategy, including cooperative efforts among law enforcement, prosecutors, and victim service providers; provision of treatment, counseling, advocacy, legal assistance, and other services to victims; community-based education and prevention; programs addressing sexual assault; or strategies targeting victims in remote and geographically isolated areas. Performance extends from October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2028, with work performed in Thompson Falls, Montana. Sanders County, the sub-recipient, invoices SCCFF monthly for actual hours worked by the detective, supported by timesheets retained for audit documentation. SCCFF retains oversight of sub-recipient spending and monitoring of performance measures and outcomes.

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, sanders county coalition for families (sccff), in partnership with the sanders county sheriffs office, sanders county attorneys office, and cabinet mountain counseling, PC, will implement the OVW FY25 rural program to address domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking in sanders county, montana. This victim services project addresses the followingpurpose areas: 1, 2, and 3 for sanders county montana. Specific activities will include: 1) comprehensive advocacy for victims; 2) county-wide prevention and awareness efforts; 3) coordinating law enforcement response to vawa crimes; 4) legal guidance and prosecution by the county attorneys office; 5) trauma-informed mental health services by a licensed counselor; 6) expanding the local coordinated community response (CCR) and multidisciplinary team (MDT); and 7) developing in-service and cross-disciplinary training for all partners. During the project, the recipient will develop the following products: notice of victims rights forms for law enforcement and partners, laminated pocket referral cards for officers, victim information and safety packets, and updated brochures and flyers for public distribution.