The SAAFE Center has received funding through the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) grant and the State Victims Assistance Act (SVAA) grant since 1989. These grants are administered via the Ohio Attorney General’s Office.
The VOCA grant pays for one full-time position and two part-time positions: Program Manager (Julie Broadwell), and Program Advocates (Kay Brown & Tiffany Suscheck.) In addition, VOCA provides rent, utilities, supplies and equipment for the program. The SVAA grant pays for organizational memberships, advertising, printing and telephone services.
A Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) stimulus grant enabled The SAAFE Center to employ an Outreach Specialist (Stephanie Feldman) part-time from Oct. 2009 to Aug. 2010. This position focused on reaching traditional college-aged students between the ages of 18-22 who were in violent dating relationships and/or had been sexually assaulted.
The SAAFE Center has been awarded several Bowling Green Community Foundation mini-grants in the past to support a variety of projects.
Mini-grants to commemorate National Crime Victims Rights Week have been awarded over several years in conjunction with the Ohio Attorney General’s Office.
In 2010, the Wood County Common Pleas Court Security Department received a grant for judicial training. This grant was out of the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW), though the U.S. Department of Justice. One requirement of the grant was for the court entity submitting the grant to collaborate with a victim assistance organization. The SAAFE Center serves as a consultant to this grant.
In May 2012, the Sex Trafficking Committee (STC) received a mini-grant to conduct an event for Women’s Health Week through the Ohio Department of Health. The event engaged girls and women (ages 12-25), in learning about vulnerabilities and women’s health.
In July 2013, SB 108 passed the Senate and was signed by the Ohio governor – This bill allows for rape crisis centers in Ohio to receive state funding. Hooray!