FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | VAWGO | FRIDAY, MARCH 7, 1997 | 202/307-0703 |
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT AWARDS $5.6 MILLION TO COMBAT
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND CHILD ABUSE IN RURAL AREAS
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Twenty-six jurisdictions in 22 states will receive just over $5.6 million to combat domestic violence and child abuse in rural areas, the Justice Department announced today. The grants were authorized by the Violence Against Women Act, passed as part of President Clinton's 1994 Crime Control Act.
"Abused women and children in rural areas face special problems because of their distance from shelters and services," said Bonnie Campbell, Director of the Violence Against Women Office. "Coming from a rural state, I'm pleased to see a grant program that focuses on the unique needs of rural communities when addressing domestic violence and child abuse," said Campbell, the former Attorney General of Iowa.
Rural areas continue to have problems responding to the needs of domestic violence and child abuse victims. In Maine, the residents of 25 largely rural towns identified violence as their number one concern, with 40 percent wanting more services for domestic violence. In rural Michigan, there is only one domestic violence shelter to cover multiple counties.
"Many victims are very isolated in rural areas and may not be able to receive the services they need," said OJP Assistant Attorney General Laurie Robinson. "They may have no telephones and no one may see them for days unless they make a trip into town. These funds will allow rural communities to work together to build the support these women and children need."
This is the second year that the Justice Department has awarded these grants to encourage law enforcement officers, prosecutors, judges, victims services providers, clergy and business leaders of state, local and tribal governments in rural areas to collaborate to provide a coordinated, community response to domestic violence and child abuse.
Grantees will use the Justice Department funds to: develop educational campaigns to raise public awareness about domestic violence and child abuse; provide counseling, advocacy and safe transportation to shelter for victims; improve the investigation and prosecution of domestic violence and child abuse cases; develop communications and information tracking systems to provide information to police officers who are often the first responders in such cases; and train health care providers, teachers and clergy to identify families that need intervention.
The Rural Domestic Violence and Child Victimization Enforcement Grants are administered by the Office of Justice Programs' Violence Against Women Grants Office. Largely rural states, rural communities in rural and non-rural states, public-private alliances and Native American tribes will receive grants ranging from $22,000 to $534,000 under the FY 1997 discretionary grants program.
Attached is a list of the FY 1997 Rural Domestic Violence and Child Victimization Enforcement grants. These programs were selected as part of a national competition.
To learn more about other violence against women efforts, visit the Violence Against Women Office World Wide Web site at http://www.usdoj.gov/vawo or the OJP home page at https://ojp.gov.
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VAW97014
After hours contact: Linda Mansour, 202/516-6800
OFFICE OF JUSTICE PROGRAMS
RURAL DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND CHILD VICTIMIZATION ENFORCEMENT
GRANT AWARDEES
FY 1997
STATE |
JURISDICTION |
AWARD AMOUNT |
ALASKA |
Alaska Legal Services Corporation |
$100,000 |
ARIZONA |
State of Arizona - Division for Women |
$389,734 |
Navajo Nation |
$150,000 | |
ARKANSAS |
Crisis Center for Battered Women |
$71,350 |
CALIFORNIA |
Inter-Tribal Council of California, Inc. |
$152,738 |
State of California - Office of Criminal Justice Planning |
$534,000 | |
COLORADO |
City of Woodland Park and County of Teller |
$261,398 |
FLORIDA |
State of Florida - Governor's Task Force on Domestic and Sexual Violence |
$285,805 |
HAWAII |
State of Hawaii - Department of the Attorney General |
$302,407 |
IDAHO |
Idaho Migrant Council, Inc. |
$100,000 |
IOWA |
Council on Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Aid Center |
$375,375 |
KENTUCKY |
Kentucky Justice Cabinet |
$100,000 |
MAINE |
Maine Department of Human Services |
$220,600 |
Kennebec Valley Medical Center |
$100,000 | |
MICHIGAN |
Michigan Family Independence Agency |
$368,312 |
MISSISSIPPI |
State of Mississippi - Division of Public Safety and Planning |
$288,468 |
MONTANA |
City of Bozeman |
$100,000 |
NEVADA |
Mineral County Sheriff's Department |
$117,553 |
NEW HAMPSHIRE |
State of New Hampshire - Department of Justice |
$325,334 |
NEW MEXICO |
Torrance County |
$254,223 |
OREGON |
Reedsport Task Force on Alcohol, Drugs, and Youth |
$91,780 |
Josephine County |
$100,000 | |
SOUTH DAKOTA |
Cheyenne River Sioux Nation |
$224,936 |
TEXAS |
State of Texas - Office of the Governor |
$381,549 |
VERMONT |
Franklin County Sheriff's Department |
$199,903 |
WYOMING |
Teton County Task Force |
$22,000 |
TOTAL |
$5,617,465 |
(March 1997)