The University of Toledo has received a $299,999 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women to enhance efforts to prevent and address sexual assault and victimization on college campuses.
The agency awarded more than $2.3 million to five organizations in northern Ohio to help reduce violence against women and strengthen services to victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking.
“Every dollar that the Department of Justice provides to address domestic violence in northern Ohio has a positive impact on the lives of victims and survivors,” said U.S. Attorney Justin Herdman. “These organizations have a strong program in place to address crucial needs or expand services.”
The UToledo Center for Student Advocacy and Wellness, which offers programming in prevention, education and intervention for sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking, will use the grant to support the UToledo Awareness and Prevention Project for another three years.
This continued funding will support the UToledo Coordinated Community Response Team and provide for training and education for faculty, staff and students across all campuses.
The response team includes the UToledo Police Department, the Toledo Police Department, YWCA Rape Crisis Center and other University and community partners working together to strengthen existing education and prevention programming and also the delivery of comprehensive strategies that help survivors heal.
“This award will help the Center for Student Advocacy and Wellness provide victim services to faculty, staff and students in the form additional staffing for the center, as well as allow us to promote and continue our efforts to engage in best practices surrounding victim services, programming, education and prevention on campus,” Dr. Kasey Tucker-Gail, professor of criminal justice and director of the UToledo Center for Student Advocacy and Wellness, said.
“For domestic violence victims, the added stressors of the pandemic can make a dangerous situation even worse,” said Laura Rogers, principal deputy director of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women. “Our grants in Ohio are a timely contribution to approaches already underway to keep victims safe and hold offenders accountable for their crimes.”
