Story By: Michael Andrews
LAS VEGAS (News 4 and FOX 11) — The Department of Justice awarded nearly $7 million in grant funding to assist law enforcement, tribes, victims of domestic violence and local and state governments in Nevada to help stop domestic and sexual violence.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada, the new funds will be to launch “Project Veronica,” named in honor of a Veronica Caldwell who was killed by her husband in 2015. Veronica’s daughter Yvonne and her daughter’s boyfriend were also killed.
“My family is honored that the Department of Justice and our Nevada communities will be keeping my daughter’s name in their hearts,” said Veronica’s mother, Rose Floyd. “Veronica would be proud to know that her legacy will live on through a project that aims to save families from the senseless pain suffered at the hands of domestic violence.”
The Attorney’s Office said Nevada ranks among the highest in the country for the rate of women murdered by men. One-fourth of all murders in southern Nevada stem from domestic violence and disputes.
Funding from the federal grant will go toward:
Grant Ward Opportunities
- $600,000 from the Bureau of Justice Assistance, made available to the Clark County District Attorney’s Office; Initiative with U.S. Attorney’s Office to Prosecute Gun Crimes. The Clark County District Attorney’s Office is receiving a targeted invitation to apply for up to three years of funding (for up to $600,000), to help prosecute domestic violence-related gun crimes.
Statewide Initiatives
- $1,704.832 from the Office of Violence Against Women (OVW) to the Nevada Office of the Attorney General; STOP (Services, Training, Officers, Prosecutors) Violence Against Women. The STOP program’s goal is to develop and strengthen law enforcement, prosecution, victim services, and court strategies to combat violent crimes against women, including community-based, culturally specific services, in cases involving domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.
- $416,734 from OVW to the Nevada Office of the Attorney General; Sexual Assault Services Program. The Sexual Assault Services Program directs grant dollars to states and territories to assist them in supporting rape crisis centers and nonprofit, nongovernmental organizations that provide core services, direct intervention, and related assistance to victims of sexual assault.
- $243,619 from OVW to the Nevada Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence; Support for Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Victims. This grant program helps the Nevada Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence provide support to rape crisis centers, domestic violence shelters, and other domestic violence victim services programs.
Tribal Communities
- $663,004 from OVW to the Yerington Paiute Tribe; Tribal Governments Program. With this funding, in collaboration with the Nevada Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence, the Yerington Paiute Tribe Victim Services Program will, among other things, support a violence prevention advocate and a victim services advocate who will provide legal advocacy and emergency services for primary and secondary victims of domestic violence, stalking, and sexual assault.
- $325,212 from OVW to the Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of the Duck Valley Indian Reservation; Tribal Sexual Assault Services Program. This award will enable the Shoshone-Paiute Tribes to expand their Tribal Sexual Assault Services Program, such as increasing advocate staff hours and the availability of services for victims.
Nevada’s Rural Communities
- $748,154 from OVW to the Douglas County District Attorney’s Office; Rural Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, Dating Violence & Stalking Program. With this award, the Douglas County Special Victims Response Team will enhance its ability to provide timely and thorough investigations of reported incidents of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking.
- $277,500 to No to Abuse – Nevada Outreach Training Organization; Transitional Housing. This award will help No to Abuse provide both housing and supportive services to move survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking who are homeless to permanent housing. Additional services may include job training, education attainment, and safety planning.
Nationwide Initiative
- $1,550,000 from OVW to the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges; Training & Technical Assistance. These funds will, among other things, help build the capacity of the criminal and civil justice systems within Nevada and elsewhere to respond effectively to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking and to foster partnerships between organizations that have not traditionally worked together to address violence against women.
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