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ST. CLAIRSVILLE -- Gov. Mike DeWine this month released $3.6 million for the Violence Against Women Act grant program with the Tri-County Help Center in St. Clairsville and Belmont County Prosecutor's Office among the recipients.
Tri-County, serving Belmont, Harrison and Monroe counties, received $25,000. An additional $32,000 was handed to the prosecutor's office.
Tri-County Administrative Compliance Coordinator Chelsea Scott said the money will be used for personnel in aiding the "24-hour emergency safe shelter," which she said is the only one in the immediate area.
"The Violence Against Women Act helps fund personnel for our agency to operate our 24-hour emergency safe shelter for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and human trafficking," Scott said, adding that the funding is required for supporting the staff in order to keep the shelter open 24 hours a day.
Scott said this grant is not new and Tri-County has received it for "many years." She did say at times grants will get cut, which keeps the nonprofit organization relying on a variety of grants or donations to make up for any loss of revenue it may incur.
The grant to Tri-County was divided into two funds - one for $21,323.89 and a smaller one for $3,676.11. Scott said funds sometimes not distributed in a given year will be rolled over and handed out, which explains the two separate amounts.
"Sometimes it comes as a split grant, that's typical," she said.
The grant was made possible through the Ohio Department of Public Safety's Office of Criminal Justice Services. A total of 143 grants were distributed to 101 agencies in 46 counties.
"This funding is critical to prevent or reduce crime and violence against women, while meeting the needs of survivors using a community-coordinated approach," DeWine said in a press release.
Two grant processes were administered - one for the courts, law enforcement and such and the second specifically tailored for community-based services.
During the holidays, Tri-County doesn't normally see an uptick in calls or requests for help. The increase typically comes after the new year, when the pressure of keeping family together for the holidays subsides.
"Usually during the holidays it's quiet but we know that, you know, violence does not take a break during the holidays," Scott said.
Belmont County Prosecutor Kevin Flanagan said the $32,000 his office was awarded will be useful, and its application is being determined.
"There's a number of layers to that. The grant has specific things we can use the money for," he said. "We just recently received the grant. ... We are in the process of putting a plan together in accord with the grant requirements. We have never in our history received that grant."
Flanagan said the money will likely go toward funding a prosecutor working on domestic violence cases, as well as other programs.
"We are in the process of trying to use that to maybe offset some of our budget issues ... that we are paying now for a prosecutor that handles domestic violence cases," he said. "It would not necessarily go to pay for an extra prosecutor."
For more information on VAWA grants, go to the Office of Criminal Justice Services' website, ocjs.ohio.gov.