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 Central Ohio Rescue and Restore Coalition
The mission of CORRC (core-see) is to provide a collaborative community response to human trafficking in central Ohio through education, services, advocacy, and prosecution.
The Central Ohio Rescue and Restore Coalition is the 21st of its kind to be established in the United States under the guidance of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to assist victims of human trafficking; rescuing victims through increased public and law enforcement awareness and restoring lives through social service support.
Since its inception in July 2007, the coalition has grown to include over 90 members, comprised of both concerned citizens and those who represent social services, faith-based, medical and law enforcement organizations. The Coalition's work is focused in five area committees:
Public Awareness
Social Services
Law Enforcement
Legislative Advocacy
Demand Reduction
Each committee meets monthly separate from the general body and works cooperatively towards the strategic goals identified by the Coalition as a whole. This allows for members to choose the area they would most like to focus in and gives way to many volunteer opportunities.
Our mission is to provide a collaborative community response to human trafficking in central Ohio through education, services, advocacy, and prosecution.
To Report a Tip or Get Help, Call 614-285-4357 (HELP)
If you are not in Ohio, please call the National Hotline:
1-888-3737-888
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The Road from Childhood to Successful Adulthood...
And Roadblocks Along the Way
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Adolescence describes the period of transition from childhood to adulthood. This is an important time for both physical and social-emotional growth.
These formative years set the stage for relationships, opportunities, and behaviors later in life. However, young people can face multiple challenges as they travel the road from youth to adulthood. Smart policy decisions can lessen the impact of these roadblocks and smooth the pathway for young adults.
In Ohio, there are approximately 1,584,118 individuals between the ages of 15 and 24. In 2013
- About 1 in 4 (about 360,000) adolescents live in poverty
- 36 out of 1,000 females ages 15-19 give birth each year, compared to a rate of 29 out of 1,000 nationally.
- 10.7% of youth between the ages of 12-17 had a major depressive episode
- 5.25% of youth experienced drug or alcohol dependence
- 4636 youth age 10-20 were adjudicated for felonies im Ohio
- 835 children aged out of foster care in 2013
The actions we take today to improve the stability of the (primary, foster, adoptive, or kinship) family has a direct and dramatic effect on the future outcome of a childs life.
For a PDF of this factsheet, click here.
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Ideas in Shared Parenting
By Dot Erickson-Anderson
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Belonging
As we struggle with the changes coming at us in our roles connected to the child serving systems, a constant remains. Life is about belonging. We need to be in relationship with each other. Health-wise we know that being isolated and not in relationship with others is worse than smoking, obesity, or high blood pressure on us.
Yet, how do we sustain belonging in caring for those who have experienced the trauma of having their relationships broken? By virtue of being in placement, the children in our care have experienced the trauma of a broken relationship. And when they leave our home, if we have not established the bonds with their primary family to continue in a role with their on-going development, they will experience another broken relationship trauma.
As the child becomes a part of our “heart-of-hearts” and not one held at a distance to protect us from the pain of their leaving from our home, we too experience this trauma of broken relationship. These broken relationships push us to think closely about how we can become a member of that child’s extended family, a sister-friend for their mother, an ongoing co-parent for the family, an uncle-brother for their father, a foster grandparent for the children. The examples are numerous. The need is great. The skill to accomplish this role is emerging.
Perhaps this month, we can think how agency policies and our own conditioned thinking keep us and our primary families away from each other in a nonproductive way. Can this be healed or changed?
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| Be an effective Advocate |
You can Make a Difference |
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“In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends
~ Martin Luther King, Jr.
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On June 30, Governor Kasich signed the fiscal year 2016-17 state budget bill (House Bill 64). The two-year budget focuses on tax reform, education, health care and Ohio’s workforce. Advocates for Ohio’s Future’s (AOF) advocacy was focused on sections of the bill that would help Ohioans acquire and maintain good jobs, support Ohio’s workforce and keep Ohioans safe. AOF closely monitored a number of Ohio’s health and human services programs throughout the budget process, including an evaluation of Governor Kasich’s 44 line-item vetoes.
Click here to view the actual budget bill.
Here is a brief summary of how many of Ohio’s health and human services programs fared in the state budget:
- Food and Nutrition: The Ohio Association of Foodbanks received $19.75 million per fiscal year to support Ohio’s 12 Feeding America foodbanks and their 3,300 member food pantries, soup kitchens and homeless shelters. This funding represents a $5.25 million increase per fiscal year for Ohio’s food programs.
- Medicaid: Ohio maintained its Medicaid expansion to adults with incomes at or below 138% of the federal poverty level (FPL). Medicaid coverage was restored to pregnant women and women diagnosed with breast and cervical cancer with incomes between 138-200% FPL, but this coverage was not restored for Family Planning Services. AOF is disappointed that the Governor did not veto the “Healthy Ohio” plan, which mandates Medicaid recipients to pay co-pays and premiums.
- Behavioral Health: The deadline to integrate behavioral health services into Managed Care was moved from January 1, 2017 to January 1, 2018 allowing the development of language that will provide oversight, accountability and timelines for the integration.
- Person-Centered Work Programs: The intensive case management program was restored to the Governor’s original proposal, which will better prepare Ohioans to acquire and maintain good jobs so they can support themselves and their families. This program will help hard-to-serve people, especially young people, enter the workforce.
- Housing: The Senate’s proposal to cut funding for the Ohio Housing Trust Fund’s (OHTF) in half was not sustained in the final budget bill. The OHTF has a proven history of success, leveraging public and private dollars at a rate of 9:1, and is vital to supporting programs that combat homelessness and providing affordable housing options.
- Adult Protective Services: Unfortunately, APS did not receive the $20 million per fiscal year that they requested, and was instead allocated $30,000 per year, per county for the purpose of employing one APS worker. The lack of increase in funding jeopardizes the safety of older adults in all of Ohio’s 88 counties.
- Children’s Protective Services: Since 2009, the child protection system has suffered a lost of $53.5 million in state dollars, and will now lose an additional $17 million over the next two years with the acceleration of the Tangible Personal Property Tax phase out. The silver lining is the creation of the Joint Legislative Committee on Multi-System Youth that is charged developing recommendations to meet the needs of children served in multiple systems.
- Work Support Programs: AOF and coalition members advocated for a 10% refundable state Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), but this request was not granted and the stateEITC remains nonrefundable. AOF also advocated for continuous and increased eligibility for child care over the next four years starting at 144% FPL in 2016. Unfortunately, child care eligibility was only increased by 5% from 125% to 130% FPL.
- Direct Service Workforce: Without a sustainable wage for home health care workers, outcomes of care and the health of the general population will be negatively affected. In the final version of the budget bill, home health aide services received a 5% rate increase, which is half of the 10% increase the House had included. Direct care workers in the developmental disabilities community will receive a 6% wage increase in six months. AOFhad advocated for a sustainable wage for direct care workers across all Medicaid waivers and populations, both agency staff and independent providers.
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 BEST PRACTICES IN GOVERNMENT RELATIONS AND ADVOCACY
Seeking government funding? Interested in influencing regulatory decision? Want to voice your expertise on a policy issue? Navigating the local, state, and federal levels of government can be confusing terrain for nonprofits. Yet, strategic and visionary leadership can impact your mission, your constituents and the 'world'.
A veteran expert from The Center for Community Solutions will focus on advocacy, lobbying, and creating a successful advocacy plan. Betsie Norris of Adoption Network Cleveland will share her personal experience in creating landmark legislation with the State of Ohio.
Click here for Event Details
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OHIO ADMINISTRATIVE CODE RULE REVIEW
Update from the PCSAO Rules Review Committee…
A number of PCSAs, as well as PCSAO, submitted comments on Ohio Administrative Code rule 5101:2-42-68, “Necessity for Continued Substitute Care Placement: Court Reviews and Hearing Requirements.”
Among the questions raised and answered is clarification that children under age 16 who are currently placed in PPLA cannot be “grandfathered in”. After the scheduled effective date of 9/15/2015, agencies will have to find another permanency option for youth under 16 in PPLA at their next permanency hearing.
This policy change stems from the federal act, “Prevent Sex Trafficking and Strengthening Families Act which prohibits placement of children under age 16 in PPLA.
No rule is open for comment on the Ohio Rule Review website.
Be informed. Be involved
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Human trafficking is a crime in plain view, therefore, how could you tell if someone is a trafficked victim and may need help? Could you tell the difference?
