Wyo. US Attorney, US DOJ award $1.5M in grants to anti-domestic violence programs

CASPER, Wyo. — The U.S. Attorney for the District of Wyoming has joined the U.S. Department of Justice and its Office on Violence Against Women to award $1,483,668 in grants to combat intimate partner violence and assist victims of violence, survivors and their families in the state.

The awards coincide with the national Domestic Awareness Month in October, according to a press release.

Domestic violence is prevalent in nearly every Wyoming community and affects everyone regardless of age, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, gender, race, religion or nationality. The devastating consequences of domestic violence can also cross generations and last a lifetime, the release states.

About one in four women and one in seven men will experience severe domestic violence in their lifetimes. However, rates are disproportionately higher for American Indian and Alaska Native populations; women of color; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex populations; Two-Spirit people; and people with disabilities.

Domestic Violence Awareness Month is an opportunity for the U.S. Attorney’s Office to show that it is committed to working with communities to ensure victims and survivors can find safety and justice.

The office collaborates with local partners to strengthen Wyoming’s awareness of available resources, prevent domestic violence and hold offenders accountable.

The Office on Violence Against Women awarded these grants in Wyoming:

• The Attorney General of Wyoming received $833,657 to support the designated special prosecutor in Fremont County for the STOP (Services, Training, Officers, Prosecutors) Violence Against Women Formula Grant Program authorized by the 1994 Violence Against Women Act.
  
  • The program encourages partnerships among law enforcement, prosecution, courts and victim services organizations to enhance victim safety and hold offenders accountable. It includes community-based and culturally specific services in cases involving domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking.
• The Wyoming Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault received $367,379 for the Office on Violence Against Women’s State and Territory Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Coalitions Program. This grant supports coordinating victim services activities, and collaborates and coordinates with federal, state, territory and local entities.
• The Office of Justice Program and the Office for Victims of Crime awarded $282,632 to the Northern Arapaho Tribe for the Office of Violence Against Women fiscal year 2024 Tribal Victim Services Set Aside Formula Program.
  
  • This grant will be used to implement services for victims of crime that meet needs identified by the community and reflect tribal community values and traditions. It aligns with the Congressional intent for the set-aside from the Crime Victims Fund, which was created in 2018 to improve services for victims of crime in Tribal communities.

These awards are made as part of the regular end-of-fiscal-year cycle and are not a comprehensive list of all grants awarded in Wyoming.

More information about these and other Office of Justice Programs awards can be found here.