$290K to provide prevention, protection, education to at-risk youth
COLUMBUS – State Rep. Teresa Fedor (D-Toledo) announced today that $290,223 in state funding was released by the Controlling Board to administer a newly received Prevention Awareness of Trafficking Humans (PATH) AmeriCorps grant awarded by the Corporation for National and Community Service.
The project is located in Toledo due to its human trafficking social dynamic. At the conclusion of this project, Toledo will create, expand and improve the capacity of governmental and non-governmental organizations to prevent human trafficking, increase advocacy efforts and increase the number of youth receiving services who are victimized by human traffickers.
“According to the Trafficking and Persons Study Commission, Toledo is the fourth largest recruitment site for human trafficking in the country, so we obviously need to continue investing in programs that aim to combat this modern-day slavery,” said Rep. Fedor. “Prevention is key, and I’m confident PATH will help to increase awareness, thereby decreasing the risk of victimization by human traffickers.”
The PATH grant will directly support 23 AmeriCorps members who will provide protection, prevention and education services to youth at-risk of being victimized by human traffickers who seek to sell them in to modern day sexual slavery. AmeriCorps participants will be placed at two Toledo-area non-profit organizations, Toledo Area Ministries and the Treatment accountability for Safer Communities (TASC) of Northwest Ohio.
