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 $500,000 to Cabell Huntington Hospital Foundation, Inc. on May 1, 2026, under the Rural Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking Assistance Program (CFDA 16.589).

The award supports victim services and crime prevention in rural communities. Cabell Huntington Hospital Foundation, Inc., operating the Hoops Family Children's Hospital Child Advocacy Center in Huntington, West Virginia, will implement strategies to identify, assess, and respond to child, youth, and adult victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking in rural Cabell, Mason, and additional counties. The project runs through April 30, 2029.

The Rural Program authorizes funding for programs that establish and expand victim services in rural communities, increase safety and well-being through direct response and prevention strategies, and develop or improve sexual assault forensic medical examination or sexual assault nurse examiner programs. Recipients must employ at least one qualifying strategy, including cooperative efforts among law enforcement, prosecutors, and victim service providers; direct treatment, counseling, advocacy, and legal assistance to victims; community education and prevention work; or programs addressing the specific needs of victims in remote or 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. Cabell huntington hospital foundation, INC. , home of the hoops family childrens hospital child advocacy center , in partnership with cabell, mason, and wayne county prosecuting attorneys, county and municipal law enforcement agencies, WV state police detachments, child protective services, contact rape crisis center, branches domestic violence shelter, and goodwill family and therapy services, will implement expanding trauma-informed child advocacy services in rural west virginia project. This victim service project is in rural areas of cabell county (excluding huntington city limits), mason county, and wayne county in southwestern west virginia. Specific activities will include: 1) delivering trauma-informed forensic interviews, victim advocacy, safety planning, and case management to child victims of sexual violence and related crimes; 2) deploying a mobile child advocacy center (CAC) unit weekly to mason and wayne counties to reduce transportation barriers and provide services directly in rural communities; 3) enhancing multidisciplinary investigation teams (mdits) by facilitating monthly case review meetings and partner trainings to improve coordinated, victim-centered response; and 4) expanding capacity to serve rural child victims, with goals of providing up to 200 forensic interviews at the CAC, up to 50 forensic interviews via the mobile unit, and up to 20 sexual assault medical exams over the project period.