The training and services to end abuse in later life (abuse in later life) program funds training for criminal justice professionals to improve investigation and prosecution of crimes involving…

The Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women awarded the Ohio Domestic Violence Network $750,000 on August 1, 2026, under the Enhanced Training and Services to End Violence and Abuse of Women Later in Life program (CFDA 16.528) to address abuse of people age 50 and older in Franklin County, Ohio.

The award funds training for criminal justice professionals—law enforcement officers, prosecutors, court personnel, nonprofit staff, and government agency workers—to improve investigation and prosecution of crimes involving older victims. The recipient develops and implements OVW-sponsored curricula covering recognition and response to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, neglect, abandonment, economic abuse, and willful harm against people age 50 or older. The award also supports development and review of policies and protocols for identifying, investigating, prosecuting, and adjudicating such cases, coordinated community responses, and direct services for victims.

Work is performed in Columbus, Ohio, from August 1, 2026, through July 31, 2030. The Ohio Domestic Violence Network is a statewide nonprofit coalition serving all 88 Ohio counties through a membership network of 74 local domestic violence programs, reaching an estimated 110,000 survivors annually. The recipient operates as part of a multidisciplinary partnership that includes law enforcement, prosecution, victim service providers, and programs serving older adults.

The training and services to end abuse in later life (abuse in later life) program funds training for criminal justice professionals to improve investigation and prosecution of crimes involving abuse of people age 50+, training for professionals who work with older victims, coordinated community responses, and services for victims. The recipient will work with its project partners to address abuse in later life in franklin county, ohio, through training, collaboration, and services. The OVW-sponsored training curricula aid law enforcement officers, prosecutors, other personnel from governmental agencies, staff of nonprofit organizations, and officers of federal, state, tribal, territorial, and local courts in recognizing and addressing abuse in later life, serving victims of such crimes, and working together to make their communities safer for older adults. The project will also involve development and review of policies and protocols for identifying, investigating, prosecuting, and adjudicating cases of abuse in later life, including domestic/dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, neglect, abandonment, economic abuse, or willful harm committed against victims who are 50 years of age or older.