Feds send $1.9 million to DOJ

The Oregon Department of Justice received a $1.9 million federal stimulus grant from the federal office on Violence Against Women on Tuesday, May 22.

The grant will be used to fund local nonprofit organizations for victim services as well as law enforcement agencies and courts used in the prosecution of crimes against women, said Bridge Gorrow, coordinator for the Women’s Resource Center at Portland State.

The grant will be dealt out to these organizations and agencies through an additional grant process and will hopefully stimulate the economy by creating more jobs, as well as take action concerning crimes against women.

However, Portland State will not be one of the potential organizations to have access to the funds. Only private nonprofit organizations will be eligible for the grant money.

“Many of these local agencies have had to cut positions and eliminate programs this year as a result of funding crises. This grant could very well allow the reinstatement or continuation of critical services that serve our students and our community,” Gorrow said.

The grant is part of the Recovery and Reinvestment Act, also known as the Recovery Bill. The bill has granted a total of $1.56 billion to the State of Oregon for a variety of programs.

The state Fiscal Stabilization Fund will receive the largest amount, $838 million, to prevent cutbacks to “key services”. The Native American Employment and Training will receive $61,000 of what is doled out.

The grant will be split between 48 different organizations and agencies, with $6 million going toward Educational Technology State Grants, according to the federal government’s stimulus plan Web site.

To find out more about the DOJ grant visit: www.doj.state.or.us/crimev/vawa.shtml.