Press Releases

BOLTON, MISSISSIPPI – Today, United States Representative Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS) announced The United States Department of Justice has awarded a grant through the Office on Violence Against Women in the amount of $117,344 to the Mississippi Coalition Against Sexual Assault.

The Sexual Assault Services Program (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 provisions of direct intervention and related assistance for victims of sexual assault. The SASP encompasses five different grant programs for States and Territories, tribes, state sexual assault coalitions, tribal sexual assault coalitions, and culturally specific organizations. Overall, the purpose of SASP is to provide intervention, advocacy, accompaniment, support services, and related assistance for adult, youth, and child victims of sexual assault, family and household members of victims, and those collaterally affected by the sexual assault. Congress, OVW, and victim advocates recognized the need to focus on sexual assault in order to address the national prevalence of sexual assault, lack of available direct intervention and related assistance services, and the unique aspects of sexual assault trauma from which victims must heal. The SASP will support such services through the establishment, maintenance, and expansion of state and territorial sexual assault coalitions and other programs and projects to assist those victimized by sexual assault.

For more information, contact Levette Johnson, Executive Director, Mississippi Coalition Against Sexual Assault (601) 948-0555.