Source: United States Senator for Ohio Sherrod Brown
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) announced that the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Office of Victims of Crime (OVC) has awarded a $598,719 grant to AO: Advocating Opportunity in Toledo through its Housing Assistance Grants for Victims of Human Trafficking program. The funding will provide safe, stable housing and appropriate support services for victims and their families to address individual needs, and prioritize rapid placement in permanent housing.
“We have a collective responsibility to protect and support survivors of trafficking and the first step to do that is to ensure that organizations like Advocating Opportunity have the resources to help survivors access stable housing,” said Brown. “This award is a testament to the work happening in Ohio to fight this heinous crime.”
Brown has long fought for legislation to eliminate human trafficking.
In June, Brown reintroduced the Trafficking Survivors Housing Act of 2021, would require the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) to commission a study and report in partnership with federal agencies, survivors, and the organizations that serve them on the availability and accessibility of homelessness and housing services for survivors of trafficking.
If you or someone you know is a victim of human trafficking, call the National Human Trafficking hotline at 1-888-373-7888 or text 233733. If you are in immediate danger, call 911.
Report missing children to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) at 1-800-THE-LOST (843-5678).
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