Initiative Focuses on Expanding Services in Rural and Tribal Communities

Greensboro, N.C. – The Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) this week announced awards to six projects for a total of $2.7 million under the Sexual Assault Demonstration Initiative (SADI). The SADI is OVW’s first large scale project to determine best practices and needed action in reaching more sexual assault survivors and providing comprehensive sexual assault services.

The six demonstration sites, each receiving three year awards for $450,000 are: Family Violence and Rape Crisis Services, Pittsboro, North Carolina; Gila River Indian Community, Sacaton, Arizona; Shelter, Inc., Alpena, Michigan; Doves, Inc., Gering, Nebraska; New York Asian Women’s Center, Inc., New York, New York; and SafePlace, Olympia, Washington.

The goals of the initiative are to increase outreach to those populations experiencing episodes of sexual violence in their communities, but not currently accessing services; develop models of service provision that prioritize the needs of sexual assault survivors; and assess the efficacy of those steps in increasing the numbers and types of sexual assault survivors who access those newly enhanced services.

“Sexual assault is a complex crime that affects every sector of our society,” said Susan B. Carbon, Director of OVW. “Coordinated victim services, including emotional and medical support along with a well-defined criminal justice response are vital to helping victims and their families heal. This demonstration initiative will provide support for the development of best practices that will significantly impact OVW’s future work and the work of our partners.”

Specifically, the SADI will enhance the range of service options for victims of sexual assault; improve the overall treatment of sexual assault victims; and enhance the skills and knowledge of advocates working with victims and survivors. The project will identify barriers to providing quality assistance and advocacy and document and disseminate solutions for replication.

At the conclusion of this project, key tools, methods, and strategies will be developed in conjunction with the demonstration sites and disseminated widely to the broader field of dual/multi-service agencies serving sexual assault survivors. Promising practices and innovative strategies will be made available through publications and trainings developed by OVW, the National Sexual Assault Coalition Resource Sharing Project, and the National Sexual Violence Resource Center.

Director Carbon announced these awards September 15 at the National Sexual Assault Conference (NSAC) in Baltimore. The NSAC provides advanced training opportunities for victim advocates and other professionals working to prevent sexual violence and help survivors with healing processes.

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