From the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority's press release:
The Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) and Beacon 360 Management Inc. announced today they have finalized a $15.6 million financing plan that allows development to begin on Harriet’s Hope, a 52-unit new construction project that is a first-of-its-kind for Columbus and among the nation’s first service-enriched housing communities exclusive to human trafficking survivors.
CMHA and Beacon successfully recruited eight funding sources that are providing support toward development of the Harriet’s Hope property, which is tentatively scheduled to complete construction in late-2023. The need for Harriet’s Hope is reflected by an Ohio Department of Health report that Ohio ranked fifth among all states in total reported human trafficking cases in 2020 (most recent data available), largely due to the major highways that link the Buckeye State to Canada, New York City, Michigan and other places.
“Unfortunately, Ohio is both an origin and source state for human trafficking, with cases representing both sex and labor trafficking and domestic and foreign-born victims of all ages,” said CMHA President and CEO Charles Hillman.
“That is why CMHA and our partners are committed to making the vision of providing a safe haven that Harriet’s Hope will offer become a realty, and we thank them all for their support and belief in the importance of moving this project forward,” Hillman said.