Harcum House Receives $50,000 for Trafficking Survivors
Ohio grant funds Lancaster nonprofit's services as part of more than $2 million distributed to 32 organizations statewide.
Updated on Nov. 11, 2026 in Sex Crimes
Harcum House in Lancaster received $50,000 through an Ohio grant program supporting survivors of human trafficking. The award is part of more than $2 million distributed by the Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services to nonprofits serving 35 counties.
Why it matters
The funding helps nonprofits provide direct services to trafficking survivors and people considered at high risk of trafficking across Ohio. The program was launched in 2023 to address the needs of sex and labor trafficking victims in the state.
The Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services distributed more than $2 million to 32 nonprofits serving 35 counties, with Harcum House receiving $50,000 and the Salvation Army of Central Ohio receiving $94,000. The reported figures do not include measures of how many victims the funded programs have served.
The players
Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services
The Ohio state agency that administers the Direct Services for Victims of Human Trafficking Grant Program and distributes its funding to nonprofit organizations.
Mike DeWine
The Governor of Ohio who launched the grant program in 2023 in partnership with the Ohio General Assembly.
The details
The Direct Services for Victims of Human Trafficking Grant Program funds victim advocacy, mental health care, education and employment support, and shelter and housing programs. Nonprofits providing direct support to trafficking victims or people at high risk were eligible, with priority given to evidence-based and survivor-informed programming.
Timeline
2023: Gov. Mike DeWine launched the grant program in partnership with the Ohio General Assembly.
Fiscal 2026-27: Ohio's operating budget continued funding for the program.
November 11, 2026: Grant awards were announced in a community announcement.
Legal Context
The grants extend a program first funded through Ohio's previous two-year state operating budget and continued in the fiscal 2026-27 budget. Funding continuity across budget cycles signals that the state treats direct trafficking victim services as an ongoing rather than one-time obligation.
Trafficking survivors in Ohio can seek advocacy, mental health care, education, employment support, and shelter through funded nonprofits such as Harcum House and the Salvation Army of Central Ohio. Residents in the 35 counties served by the grant recipients may find these organizations through their local services.
The takeaway
State funding for trafficking survivor services is being sustained across budget cycles rather than limited to a single appropriation. Readers seeking support for survivors can contact local nonprofit providers in their county.
Further reading
Explore more reporting in Sex Crimes coverage for related developments.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Lancaster Eagle-Gazette.
