Peace House Executive Director Kendra Wyckoff said the nonprofit is excited to use the rural grant to support survivors.
“We are really, really proud of this effort, because this took a lot of organizing and work with our community partners,” she said on KPCW’s “Local News Hour” April 24. “It is a three-year grant for $500,000. It’s the first time that Peace House has actually received a direct grant from the Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women.”
Peace House’s budget for fiscal year 2024 was about $4 million.
The grant aims to reduce some of the hurdles preventing survivors in rural areas from accessing help, including long travel distances, language barriers and service gaps.
Peace House is the only comprehensive victim-services provider in the Wasatch Back. With the grant, Wyckoff said the nonprofit is collaborating with many other agencies.
Wasatch Forensic Nurses is one key partner. Executive Director Dana Thomas said her organization’s trained nurses help survivors get the medical care they need and collect evidence in case they choose to press charges.
“That evidence is then turned over to law enforcement so they can investigate the crime, and then the crime lab processes that evidence, and then hopefully perpetrators are held accountable,” she said.
She said specialized exams are especially important for victims of strangulation. When injuries aren’t easily visible, forensic nurses can request more imaging and advocate for extra care.
“Our nurses are trained in that, the advocates are trained on a lot of that, and law enforcement is also receiving training in those areas,” she said.
Every time law enforcement officers respond to a domestic violence call, they are required to assess the risk of deadly violence. That includes asking victims if their partner has ever tried to choke them. Officers in the Wasatch Back are trained to call Peace House if a victim is at high risk.
The federal grant will help survivors find transportation, navigate the court system if they choose, work with a bilingual translator and more.
It will also enable the nonprofit to provide training about human trafficking. Peace House Chief Program Officer Liz Watson said the nonprofit is partnering with the Asian Association of Utah.
“We are at a crux point, when you think about our transportation routes, with the interstates of the I-15, the I-80, etc.,” she said. “So, there’s a lot that goes on in tiny towns like Park City that does involve human trafficking, unfortunately.”
Peace House’s 24-hour helpline is available at 1-800-647-9161.
