The survivor advocacy outreach program (soap) will provide services to victims of violent crime throughout southeast ohio

The Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs Victims of Crime awarded $500,000 to Survivor Advocacy Outreach Program on October 1, 2025, under the Crime Victim Assistance/Discretionary Grants program (CFDA 16.582) to provide comprehensive victim services to survivors of violent crime across Southeast Ohio through September 30, 2028.

The program will establish and operate transitional housing units for survivors, deploy advocate-case managers to deliver direct victim services and case management, and hire a housing manager to oversee housing operations, inspections, and coordination with referral agencies. The Survivor Advocacy Outreach Program will strengthen access to safe housing, expand confidential victim services, sustain outreach to remote areas, and provide stabilization support following victimization.

Performance occurs in Athens, Ohio, with services delivered throughout nine Southeast Ohio counties: Athens, Gallia, Hocking, Jackson, Lawrence, Meigs, Morgan, Perry, and Vinton. Survivor Advocacy Outreach Program is a tax-exempt nonprofit based in Athens that operates exclusively in the federal grant space, with the Department of Justice funding the majority of its work across victim advocacy and transitional housing for survivors of violent crime and domestic violence in rural Appalachian communities.

Soap will improve services to victims of crime by expanding access to safe housing, strengthening confidential victim services, sustaining outreach to remote areas, and by providing transitional housing to survivors to provide stabilization after victimization. Soap will operate housing units, provide wraparound services and or referrals, and maintain regional outreach. Soap will use funds to pay for advocate-case managers who will deliver direct services and a housing manager who will oversee housing logistics, inspections, and coordination with referral agencies.