MOUNT VERNON — Mount Vernon-based domestic violence shelter and rape crisis center New Directions is receiving $115,752.57 in state grant funding to enhance its services.
Approximately $4.8 million in grants will be awarded to support the work of rape crisis centers and sexual assault survivor programs in Ohio, according to Gov. Mike DeWine’s press release.
Twenty-five rape crisis centers and survivor service providers from 24 Ohio counties received grants and the funding will help 25 programs offer virtual/remote and crisis services, support emergency needs of sexual assault survivors, and pay for hiring and retention bonuses to attract and maintain staff to ensure the continuity of sexual assault recovery services.
The Office of Criminal Justice Services (OCJS) is administering the grant program, which is funded through the 2021 Family Violence Prevention and Services Act American Rescue Plan Act (FVPSA ARPA) Rape Crisis Centers and Sexual Assault Programs Supplemental COVID-19 Funds.
OCJS is a division of the Ohio Department of Public Safety. By statute, OCJS is the lead justice planning and assistance office for the state, administering millions of dollars in state and federal criminal justice funding every year. OCJS also evaluates programs and develops technology, training, and products for criminal justice professionals and communities.
New Direction’s two-year grant will be used to hire a prevention services employee and for client assistance, New Direction’s Executive Director Lori Jones said.
Client assistance can go toward attorney expenses, utilities such as gasoline for cars, and moving clients to different locations, Jones said. The grant funds have to be linked to a service, meaning money can’t go directly to a survivor.
A new prevention services position would largely focus on community outreach, Jones said, including Knox County public schools. New Directions’ community outreach has tripled within a year, Jones said, with 9,463 outreach opportunities documented compared to last year’s 3,083.
“The increase comes from interest in schools and the community in what we’re doing,” Jones said.
Other New Directions outreach programs such as Prevention in the Park and Table Talks podcasts have increased, too.
