Mercer County police departments and Womanspace are teaming up to train volunteers to become members of the Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Victim Response Teams.

Those who apply and are accepted into the program must complete 80 hours of training beginning March 7, 2018 at Rider University. The program will end in May with a graduation ceremony, Womanspace said in a statement.

Team members work with local police departments to provide support and information at the time of a domestic violence or sexual assault.

They meet with victims at police headquarters and provide information and support in order for victims in making educated decisions that positively effect individual and family conditions, the statement said.

In 2017, team volunteers responded 539 times to speak with victims, providing referral counseling and emotional support to a total of 550 people. In that same year, the agency's Sexual Assault Support Services Advocate Team (SASS) team supported 68 people.

Womanspace will be accepting applications from prospective volunteers who meet the following minimum requirements:

18 years of age
possess a valid driver's license & available transportation
no criminal record history - applicants must submit information for a background check & interview
attend mandatory training and attend monthly meetings
possess the ability to communicate well with others and be sensitive to victims' feelings
bilingual individuals and people fluent in American Sign Language (ASL) are encouraged to apply

Anyone interested in applying as a volunteer should contact the Domestic Violence Response Team Coordinator Heidi Mueller at 609-394-0136 or via dvvrt@womanspace.org.

Applications must be received by Feb. 2, 2018.

Olivia Rizzo may be reached at orizzo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @LivRizz. Find NJ.com on Facebook