Domestic violence programs end as grants withheld

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — A couple of pilot programs in Columbus designed to support victims of domestic violence have ended, according to Zach Klein, Columbus City Attorney.

“Do I think victims are more vulnerable now because the money ran out," Klein said. "Yeah, I do."

The two programs were made possible by a $500,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice's (DOJ) Office on Violence Against Women (OVF). It was part of the OVW's Firearms Technical Assistance Project Pilot Sites Initiative. Through the grant, advocates from the Nationwide Children's Center for Family Safety and Healing were used to support victims.

“The systems, the court system, the law enforcement system, I think it works better when there’s an advocate there to help the survivor," said Mary O'Doherty, executive director of the Ohio Domestic Violence Network (ODVN). 

One of the pilot programs had an advocate helping people trying to get civil protection orders in domestic relations court. The other had two advocates who responded to domestic violence scenes with police in the part of the city with the highest number of those calls.

“It was overwhelmingly successful through a pilot program," Klein said. "We were really hoping to expand it, and that's when we had a plan together and got word from the federal government that they were going to end the program to begin with."

The programs ran from January 2023 to June 2025. More than 1,500 victims were helped, according to the city attorney's office. Klein said his office was invited by the DOJ's OVW to apply for more funding. However, he said his office was notified in July that funding for the project would not be released this year.

NBC4 reached out to the DOJ about this. A deputy director with the DOJ's Office of Public Affairs shared the following email.

"OVW postponed initial plans to provide supplemental funding because sites participating in this initiative have sufficient funds to continue work for another year or longer. OVW generally does not provide continuation funds to recipients when they have enough money under a current grant to do the work for another 12+ months. OVW anticipates releasing a notice of funding opportunity next year."