SASP was created by the Violence Against Women and Department of Justice Reauthorization Act of 2005 and is the first Federal funding stream solely dedicated to the provision of direct intervention and related assistance for victims of sexual assault. SASP envisions a partnership among the MBCC, Montana Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, and underserved communities in implementing SASP throughout the State. The intent of the partnership is to support rape crisis centers and other nonprofit, nongovernmental organizations, including faithbased and other community organizations, that provide core services, direct intervention, and related assistance to victims of sexual assault. SASP funds are designed to supplement other funding sources directed at addressing sexual assault on the state and territorial level. Rape crisis centers and other nonprofit organizations such as dual programs providing both domestic violence and sexual violence intervention services play a vital role in assisting sexual assault victims through the healing process, as well as assisting victims through the medical, criminal justice, and other social support systems.
The purpose of SASP is to provide intervention, advocacy, accompaniment (e.g., accompanying victims to court, medical facilities, police departments, etc.), support services, and related assistance to:
- Adult, youth, and child victims of sexual assault;
- Family and household members of such victims; and
- Those collaterally affected by the victimization (e.g., friends, coworkers, classmates)., except for the perpetrator of such victimizations.
The Sexual Assault Services Program emphasizes the establishment, maintenance, and expansion of rape crisis centers and other nonprofit, non-governmental organizations, such as dual programs addressing domestic violence and sexual assault, for the provision of direct intervention, core services, and related assistance to adult, youth, and child victims of sexual
assault.
The Sexual Assault Services Program shall be used to provide grants to rape crisis centers and other nonprofit, non-governmental organizations, including faith-based and other community organizations, for programs, and activities that provide direct intervention and related assistance. Intervention and related assistance may include:
- 24-hour hotline services providing crisis intervention services and referral;
- Accompaniment and advocacy through medical, criminal justice, and social support systems, including medical facilities, police, and court proceedings;
- Crisis intervention, short-term individual and group support services, and comprehensive service coordination and supervision to assist sexual assault victims and family or household members;
- Information and referral to assist the sexual assault victim and family or household members;
- Community-based, linguistically, and culturally specific services and support mechanisms, including outreach activities for underserved communities; and
- The development and distribution of materials on issues related to the services described in the previous bullets.
Priority will be given to programs that:
- Support rape crisis centers by providing direct intervention and related assistance to services; and
- Support dual programs that provide sexual assault and domestic violence services to enhance the provision of sexual assault-related direct intervention and related assistance services.
None is available.