A federal grant will send more than $350,000 to McLean County to help prevent domestic violence and sexual assault against children.
YWCA McLean County will receive $359,034 in grant funding announced by U.S. Rep. Eric Sorensen, a Democrat representing Illinois' 17th Congressional District. Funding comes from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Violence Against Women, which has awarded $684 million to sexual violence prevention, education and direct services in 2024.
“Every child deserves to grow up in a safe and nurturing environment, free from any form of violence,” Sorensen said in a statement. “But when a child does go through such a deeply traumatic experience, we need to step up as a community and make sure that child has our support. This important funding coming to the YWCA of McLean County will ensure that local organizations, that already do so much to help our neighbors, have the resources they need to prevent and respond to crimes against our kids.”
YWCA's sexual assault program called Stepping Stones plans to hire additional staff to bolster its education and prevention programs for 11- to 24-year-olds experiencing or at risk for domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking and sex trafficking. Additional funds provide stipends for on-call personnel at hospitals and a 24-hour hotline. YWCA will also partner with Project Oz providing wrap-around services for at-risk youth.
The National Domestic Violence Hotline predicts 1 in 5 women and 1 in 7 men who experience intimate partner violence first encountered some form of partner violence between ages 11 and 17. Nearly 1 in 6 college women has been sexually abused in a dating relationship. And 30-60% of intimate partner violence perpetrators also abuse children in their household.
“Being awarded this grant truly shows our dedication to building a safer community,” YWCA Stepping Stones Director Jennifer Golliday said in a statement. “With this additional support, we will be able to expand our reach and provide sexual violence prevention lessons to youth throughout McLean County. Our goal is to empower them with the knowledge and resources needed to recognize, prevent and respond to instances of sexual violence, strengthening the community as a whole.”
