Worcester nonprofits, law enforcement granted slice of $3.3M to combat sexual violence, human trafficking

Photo | Grant Welker Assumption University in Worcester

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Worcester County state, local, and nonprofit agencies have received a slice of nearly $3.8 million in federal funding to help mitigate intimate partner violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, and stalking in the local community.

Ten Central Massachusetts agencies split $634,849 of the total $3.27 million the state received through the Violence Against Women Act STOP Grant Program, an initiative through the U.S. Department of Justice and managed by the Massachusetts Office of Grants and Research, according to a joint press release Monday from the OGR and the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security.

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“Safe, reliable access to services is vital for survivors of sexual and domestic violence. By fostering strong partnerships among prosecutors, law enforcement, and service providers, we create a network of life-saving support that reaches those who need it most,” EOPSS Secretary Terrence Reidy said in the release.

As part of the awarded funds, the Worcester County District Attorney’s Office was named one of five Massachusetts district attorney offices to receive funding through the state’s Human Trafficking Enforcement and Training Grant Program to support its capacities to identify, assist, and offer referral services to survivors of commercial sexual exploitation. Worcester’s office received $95,828 in funding.

The Central Massachusetts entities receiving funding through the Violence Against Women STOP Act Grant Program are below.

Pathways for Change, a Worcester-based nonprofit providing services to those impacted by sexual violence, received $143,043.
Worcester County District Attorney’s Office received $121,327.
RIA, Inc., a Worcester-based nonprofit offering services to those with experience in commercial sex, received $100,949
Worcester Police Department received $74,233
Fitchburg Police Department received $73,952
Our Deaf Survivors Center, a Worcester-based nonprofit offering support services to Deaf survivors of sexual and domestic violence, received $58,062
Assumption University Police Department in Worcester received $39,511
Community Legal Aid, a Worcester-based nonprofit providing free civil legal aid, received $12,540.
Gardner Police Department received $11,231.

Mica Kanner-Mascolo is a staff writer at Worcester Business Journal, who primarily covers the healthcare and diversity, equity, and inclusion industries.