Area victims agencies receive grant $$

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

Several Van Wert County agencies will benefit from the more than $51 million awarded by Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine to 307 crime victim service providers across Ohio. The grants are part of the newly established “Ohio Attorney General’s Expanding Services and Empowering Victims Initiative.”

The funds are being awarded as the result of a marked increase in Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) grant funding from the U.S. Department of Justice for 2015-2016. In fiscal year 2014-2015, Ohio received $15,993,857 in VOCA funding, as opposed to this fiscal year’s award of $69,888,068. The fund is financed by federal settlements, fines, and fees.

“No matter where you live in this state, we want victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and other crimes to have access to the essential services needed to report crimes, seek justice, and recover,” said Attorney General DeWine. “Through this initiative, we will help crime victim service agencies throughout the state enhance the essential services they already provide to crime victims in Ohio, while also funding brand new programs that will help empower survivors to overcome their victimization.”

Attorney General DeWine created the “Ohio Attorney General’s Expanding Services and Empowering Victims Initiative” to determine how the funds could best be spent to serve victims of crime in Ohio.

Of the $51 million in grants announced today, an estimated $15 million will go toward providing services to domestic violence victims, nearly $10 million will go to prosecutor-based programs, and more than $9 million will go toward serving victims of sexual assault. Additional funds will assist agencies that provide services to at-risk youth and human trafficking victims, court appointed special advocates, and child advocacy centers.

Local grant recipients include the YWCA of Van Wert County, which received a total of $396,819.53, which includes a grant of $126,900 earmarked for accessibility and $19,407.99 earmarked for transitional housing.

Van Wert Crime Victims Inc. will receive $41,256.36, while the Crisis Care Line of Van Wert County, which serves both Van Wert and Paulding counties, will be awarded a total of $170,602.68, which includes $23,382.40 earmarked for accessibility and $6,748.04 for technology needs.

Legal Aid of Western Ohio, which provides legal services to Van Wert County, was awarded a total of $278,983.38, while Dayton Children’s Hospital, which provides services to the county, was awarded $325,207.61.

The Paulding County Prosecutor’s Office received $56,369.60, while the Allen County Crime Victims Services agency and the Area Agency on Aging 3, which both provide services to Van Wert County, also received grants from the Ohio Attorney General’s Office.