CALCASA awarded over $750,000 in funding for 3 multi-year projects
SACRAMENTO, Calif., Oct. 26, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The California Coalition Against Sexual Assault (CALCASA) is proud to announce that it has been awarded $752,750 in total funding for three new, multi-year projects: California Immigration Legal Assistance Project (CILAP), a grant from Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) Legal Assistance for Victims Grant Program; Building Refuge for Immigration Detainees through Governance and Engagement (BRIDGE), a cooperative agreement from OVW; and Cybertech, a cooperative agreement from OVW. All grants are designed to better support survivors of sexual assault, addressing the unique needs of victim populations in California, and with Cybertech, across the nation.
CILAP will allow CALCASA to work collaboratively with partners to address current gaps in access to legal services for immigrant, Limited English Proficient (LEP), and farmworker victims of rape/sexual assault in three remote rural communities in central California. CALCASA will act as the project lead and work in partnership with fellow CILAP recipients including: National Immigrant Women's Advocacy Project ("NIWAP," a program with American University, Washington College of Law); Lideres Campesinas ("Lideres" is a program serving farmworker women throughout California); Monarch Services/Servicios Monarca ("Monarch" is a local sexual assault program in Santa Cruz County); Community Action Partnership of Madera County, Inc. ("Madera" is a local sexual assault program in Madera County, CA); the law firms Crowell & Moring, LLP and Morgan Lewis & Bockius, LLP; American Gateways; Victim Rights Law Center; and Sergeant Inspector Antonio Flores (San Francisco Police Department).
As part of BRIDGE, CALCASA will work in partnership with Sure Helpline Crisis Center (El Centro), Alliance Against Family Violence & Sexual Assault (Bakersfield), San Bernardino Sexual Assault Services, Inc., and three Immigration Detention Facilities to support and meet the critical needs of incarcerated survivors of sexual assault. BRIDGE advances CALCASA's current work with Just Detention International (JDI) on Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) compliance, building and enhancing partnerships between CALCASA's member rape crisis centers (RCCs) and state prisons and youth detention facilities in California.
Lastly, CALCASA has also partnered with Break the Cycle on Cybertech which will provide training and technical assistance for criminal justice professionals on the use/misuse of technology in sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking (including cyber stalking) cases as a national project.
"Our networks have enabled us to continue the momentum and address the changing needs of survivors and diverse communities," said Sandra Henriquez, Executive Director of the California Coalition Against Sexual Assault. "With BRIDGE, CILAP, and Cybertech, we will be able to respond to gaps in access to legal services for immigrants, meet needs of survivors in immigration detention facilities, and inform conversations on the use of technology in cases of sexual and domestic violence."
CALCASA looks forward to working with all of its partners in each project to achieve advancements in each initiative. While each project is different in scope, they are important components of CALCASA's mission to provide leadership, vision, and resources to individuals, centers and other entities committed to ending sexual violence.
CALCASA is the only statewide organization in California whose sole purpose is to promote public policy, advocacy, training and technical assistance on the issue of sexual assault. CALCASA convenes statewide and national training conferences and its primary membership is composed of the 84 rape crisis centers and rape prevention programs in CA. Its affiliate membership is comprised of local, statewide and national organizations, businesses, and individuals committed to the elimination of sexual violence. For more information, visit www.calcasa.org.
Contact: Shaina Brown
Cell: 925-209-6293
Email: [email protected]
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SOURCE California Coalition Against Sexual Assault
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