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The Southwest Crisis Center has been awarded a $750,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) through its Rural Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking Program.
Through this initiative, the Southwest Crisis Center will collaborate with the Lakefield Police Department and the Mountain Lake Police Department to enhance officer training, improve referral systems, and ensure that victims in rural communities receive timely, trauma-informed, and compassionate support. The SWCC will also partner with Standpoint, a statewide legal advocacy organization, to expand access to legal services and assistance for victims and survivors of domestic and sexual violence, dating violence, and stalking. The project will strengthen coordinated community responses across Cottonwood, Jackson, Nobles, Pipestone, and Murray Counties by improving access to critical services, legal advocacy, and safety resources for victims.
“The OVW Rural Grant will allow us to better serve victims by collaborating to help meet the needs that matter to them most,” said Sara Wahl, Executive Director of the Southwest Crisis Center. “We are excited to work with our partners on this important project.”
“This grant and partnership with the Southwest Crisis Center will strengthen officer development and enhance collaboration between law enforcement and advocacy professionals,” said Louis Norell, Chief of Police for the City of Mountain Lake. “Together, we’re improving our response to victims while building a stronger, more compassionate department.”
“Standpoint is honored to partner with the Southwest Crisis Center and others on this important project to provide much-needed legal representation and advice to victim- survivors,” said Thi Synavone, Executive Director of Standpoint.
“When a crime of violence occurs, we owe it to the victim and our community to provide the best law enforcement response possible,” said Roger Pohlman, Chief of Police for the City of Lakefield. “The OVW Rural Grant is an important part of improving our response and strengthening collaboration to secure justice for our community.”
The OVW Rural Program supports efforts to increase safety and improve the justice system’s response in rural areas, where access to services can be limited by distance, resources, and isolation. The Southwest Crisis Center’s project will focus on enhancing local response, building trauma-informed practices, and ensuring victims have access to advocacy, safety planning, and legal resources.
For more than 41 years, the Southwest Crisis Center has provided free and confidential services to victims and survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse, human trafficking, and other forms of abuse across southwest Minnesota.