Journey center for safety and healing proposes to implement increased capacity and advocacy for domestic violence victims and survivors in cuyahoga county, ohio

The U.S. Department of Justice awarded a $439,000 Project Grant under the Congressionally Recommended Awards (CFDA 16.753) program to the Journey Center for Safety and Healing, a non-profit organization in Cleveland, Ohio. The grant will fund increased staff capacity and advocacy efforts to enhance support for domestic violence victims and survivors in Cuyahoga County. Key activities include providing professional trainings, outreach, and referrals to organizations that interface with individuals experiencing domestic violence and child abuse; targeted outreach and support to the faith community, hospitals, and community centers; increased community presence at events; outreach to culturally-specific populations; and strengthened partnerships with organizations serving marginalized groups. The project will support salaries for a Chief Program Officer and Prevention and Community Education Manager to enable community advocates to focus more on outreach and service provision. The award period is from October 1, 2023 to September 30, 2024.

The purpose is to provide enhanced support to victims of domestic violence by increasing staff capacity and relieving strain on existing staff members, which will allow journey to reach more victims throughout the community. Through this project, journey will provide the following activities: professional trainings, outreach, and referral information to other organizations that interface with individuals experiencing domestic violence and child abuse; targeted outreach and support to the faith community, hospitals, community centers, and more; increased community presence through attendance at events and resource fairs to raise awareness of services/resources and how to access them; outreach to culturally specific populations and natural helpers in the community; and strengthened partnerships with organizations serving marginalized groups. This project will support salaries for a chief program officer (CPO) and prevention and community education manager, both of whom will increase staff capacity by taking on essential department responsibilities, which will give community advocates on staff more availability to focus on outreach efforts and provide guidance, education, and support to target communities. As a result, journey will reach more victims of domestic violence and/or child abuse in the community and provide them with the prevention and intervention services needed to help them determine their best path toward health and safety.