DSVS Awarded Recovery Act Funds
The Department of Justice has awarded $497,351 in Recovery Act funds to Domestic and Sexual Violence Services of Carbon County (DSVS), which is based in Red Lodge by the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) Recovery Act Transitional Housing Program.
The funding will allow DSVS and project partners to provide transitional housing to victims of domestic violence, dating violence, stalking and sexual assault as well as to their dependents in Carbon, Stillwater and Sweet Grass Counties. Support services designed to help victims secure permanent housing and integrate into the community, including employment counseling, job training, economic advocacy, transportation and child care services, will also be provided. DSVS will also create 1.6 job positions to support the program.
The landmark American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, signed into law by President Obama, provides the Justice Department’s Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) with $43 million for the Transitional Housing Assistance Program to provide holistic, victim-centered support services that move individuals into permanent housing.
Transitional housing programs meet the goals of the Recovery Act through employing victim advocates and other personnel to assist victims, renovating housing for victims, offering additional housing units, and increasing job opportunities for victims through training, education and other support services. The award period for these grants is 24-36 months.
OVW, a component of the U.S. Department of Justice, provides leadership in developing the nation’s capacity to reduce violence against women through the implementation of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and subsequent legislation. Created in 1995, OVW administers financial and technical assistance to communities across the country that are developing programs, policies and practices aimed at ending domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking.
More information about this grant program is available at www.ovw.usdoj.gov. For more information about DSVS and its programs, please call 446-2296 or visit www.dsvsmontana.org If you or someone you know is in an abusive relationship, please call the DSVS 24/7 Helpline at 425-2222.
