FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? VAWO
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2001???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 202/307-0703
Justice
Department Makes Funding Applications Available For Three Violence Against
Women Programs
WASHINGTON, D.C. ? The Justice Department has
over $89 million available in FY 2001 to help states respond to violence
against women in rural areas, provide legal assistance to victims, and
encourage the arrest of batterers and enforcement of protection orders.?
The Department?s Violence Against Women
Office (VAWO) has released on-line applications for funding for three programs
-- the Rural Domestic Violence and Child Victimization Enforcement Assistance
Grant Program, the Legal Assistance for Victims Grant Program and the Grants to
Encourage Arrest Policies and Enforcement of Protection Orders Program.? Applications are due March 14, March 20 and
March 28, respectively.? Grant awards
are scheduled for late July and August.
?These programs enable us to help communities
improve victims? access to services,? said Mary Lou Leary, Acting Assistant
Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs, which includes VAWO.? ?These initiatives also allow the criminal
justice system to better investigate and prosecute cases involving violent
crimes against women.?
The Rural Program is designed to improve
services to victims and their children by encouraging community involvement in
developing a coordinated response to domestic violence and child abuse.? States, Indian tribal governments, local
governments in 19 rural states, and
other public and private entities in those rural states are eligible to
apply for a total of $24.38 million in Rural Program funds available this
year.? In nonrural states, the state may
apply on behalf of one or more of its rural jurisdictions.
VAWO has $31.56 million available in FY 2001
for the Legal Assistance for Victims Program, 25 percent of which must be used
to support projects focused solely or primarily on providing legal assistance
to victims of sexual assault.? Eligible
grantees include private nonprofits, Indian tribal governments, and law school
clinics and other publicly funded organizations not acting in a governmental
capacity.? ?
The Legal Assistance Program was created by
the Violence Against Women Act of 2000 (VAWA 2000) and replaces the Domestic
Violence Victims? Civil Legal Assistance Program.? It is designed to strengthen legal assistance for victims of
domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking through collaborative programs
that increase access to legal services in a wide range of legal matters.
VAWA 2000 also created the Grants to
Encourage Arrest Policies and Enforcement of
Protection Orders Program, which replaces the Grants to Encourage
Arrest Policies Program.? A total of
$33.15 million is available this year.
States, units of local government, Indian tribal governments, and state
and local courts are eligible to apply.
Other agencies, such as police departments, must apply through a state,
unit of local government, Indian tribal government, or a state or local court.
The Grants to Encourage Arrest Policies and
Enforcement of Protection Orders Program promotes mandatory and pro-arrest
policies and encourages jurisdictions to treat domestic
violence as a serious criminal offense, establish coordinated community
responses, and facilitate the enforcement of protection orders.? Priority will be given to applicants that
demonstrate a commitment to strong enforcement of protection orders from other
states and jurisdictions.
Current grantees and programs that have not
previously received funding under the existing programs are eligible to apply
for FY 2001 funds.? The selection
process will be highly competitive and peer review panels will rate and rank
applications.
More information about the Rural, Legal
Assistance and Arrest Programs and other violence against women efforts is
available on VAWO?s Website at www.ojp.usdoj.gov/vawo, or by calling the
National Criminal Justice Reference Service toll-free at 1-800/851-3420.???
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VAW01052
After hours contact:
Linda Mansour on 202/616-3534?????????????????????????????????????