09.14.15

Hoeven: DOJ Awards More Than $650,000 to Assist Victims of Crime in North Dakota

WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven, who serves on the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, today announced that the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has awarded a total of $650,366 to assist victims of crime in North Dakota. The funds are awarded as follows:

  • University of North Dakota (UND) – $550,000 – The funds, awarded by the DOJ’s Office on Violence Against Women, will allow UND and its project partners, the Spirit Lake Victim Assistance Program and the Lake Crisis Resource Center, to increase sexual assault services, implement trauma-informed and culturally specific approaches to help victims recover and improve ties between services, law enforcement and court-related service providers.
  • North Dakota Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation – $100,366 – The DOJ’s Office for Victims of Crime awarded $100,366 to the North Dakota Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to support training and technical assistance for victim assistance grantees and others who work with victims of crime.

“As North Dakota’s population continues to grow, we are working hard to meet the changing needs and challenges of our communities,” Hoeven said. “The grant awarded to UND will increase the safety and well-being of women and children in rural areas by addressing domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking, while also increasing awareness to prevent such crimes in the future. The grant awarded to the North Dakota Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation will help provide victims of crime with better access to the support and services they need.”

Earlier this year, the Senate passed the Justice for Victims of Human Trafficking Act, which Senator Hoeven cosponsored. This legislation provided block grants to help state and local governments develop and implement victim-centered programs that train law enforcement to rescue trafficking survivors, prosecute human traffickers and restore the lives of victims. Hoeven worked to include an amendment in the bill that would help North Dakota victims of human trafficking by ensuring states would not be disadvantaged from receiving federal funds if they have only recently begun collecting information on human trafficking victims.

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