Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine announced today that 276 Ohio crime victim services agencies have been awarded more than $17 million in grant funds.
Crime victim services agencies in Crawford County were among those that were awarded grant funds with a total of $43,944 in State Victims Assistance Act (SVAA) allocations and $50,041 in Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) allocations. The County Prosecutor’s Office received $3,570 in SVAA funds and $35,194 in VOCA funds. The Bucyrus Prosecutor’s Office was granted $38,956 in SVAA funds and the City of Galion Law Director’s Office was allocated $1,418 in SVAA funds and $14,847 in VOCA funds. Turning Point, which serves Marion, Crawford, Delaware, Morrow, Union and Wyandot counties, received a total of $115,645 from the two grant funds.
The programs receiving funding include: domestic violence shelters; human trafficking outreach centers; aged-out foster youth initiatives; sexual, elder, and child abuse programs; legal aid initiatives; and court appointed special advocate programs.
“Victims of crime often don’t know what help is available on their path towards healing, and that is why crime victim services agencies like these are so important,” said Attorney General DeWine. “Ohio’s victim advocates work on the front lines of our justice system every day supporting victims.”
The majority of the funding was awarded as continuing Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) and/or State Victims Assistance Act (SVAA) grant funding for 2013-2014. An additional eight agencies received new grants. Those agencies include:
• Harmony House, Inc., Belmont County, $15,527
• Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cuyahoga County, $55,000
• Ohio Network of Children’s Advocacy Center, Franklin County, $14,560
• Guernsey County Child Advocacy Center, Guernsey County, $20,808
• The Salvation Army, Hamilton County, $49,356
• Hancock County Center for Safe and Healthy Children, Hancock County, $16,856
• Daybreak, Montgomery County, $58,853
• Tuscarawas County Child Advocacy Center, Tuscarawas County, $8,164
A full list of all VOCA and SVAA recipients is available on the Ohio Attorney General’s website.
The state and federal grants are funded by court costs and license reinstatement fees.
Funding recommendations are provided to the Attorney General by the Ohio Attorney General’s Crime Victim Services Section and the State Victims Assistance Advisory Board.