OHIO – Ohio Governor Mike DeWine today announced that he is awarding $6.7 million to support the work of the Ohio Domestic Violence Network (ODVN) to offer mobile and health advocacy services and temporary residential services for domestic violence survivors across the state. The announcement comes during National Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
“Convenient access to health services and a safe place to stay are vital for domestic violence survivors because they directly impact quality of life,” said Governor DeWine. “It’s important that we ensure easy access to these necessities so that survivors can worry less about housing and medical care and focus more on the process toward healing and recovery.”
ODVN will use $5.1 million of the grant funding to implement a mobile advocacy and health care project in partnership with the Ohio Association of Community Health Centers. The remaining $1.6 million will be used to house survivors and their children in hotels. Many of the families will have COVID or other health concerns that prevent them from sheltering in one of ODVN’s 76 member programs.
“Thanks to this funding, Ohio’s domestic violence programs will be able to connect survivors to critical health and housing services,” said ODVN Executive Director Mary O’Doherty. “We are grateful for the opportunity to develop pathways and strategies so survivors can heal and move forward in their journeys to safety and self-sufficiency.”
The projects are funded through the FY 2021 Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA) American Rescue Plan (ARP) Supplemental COVID-19 Testing, Vaccine Access, Mobile Health Units Access Fund and the FY 2021 FVPSA ARP Supplemental Fund. Both funds are administered by the Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services within the Ohio Department of Public Safety.
