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CV NEWS FEED // An Ohio-based Christian ministry that supports young girls who are sex trafficking survivors is suing a local county, alleging discrimination.
The nonprofit legal organization Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) filed the lawsuit against the officials of Montgomery County, Ohio, on behalf of the ministry Gracehaven, according to a Dec. 11 ADF press release. ADF filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, Western Division.
Gracehaven hires employees who share the same faith values as the ministry. According to ADF, the new contract with Montgomery County “contained an employment non-discrimination provision that prohibited Gracehaven’s ability to employ only those who share and live out its religious beliefs.”
“The government can’t deny public benefits to a Christian ministry that is caring for young survivors of sex trafficking solely because of its religious character and exercise,” ADF Legal Counsel Jake Reed said in the press release. “Gracehaven is a force for good, providing comprehensive care, support, and a place to call home for the most vulnerable girls in Ohio.”
The foster care system, at the county level, places young female survivors of sex trafficking in three therapeutic group homes operated by Gracehaven, according to the press release.
Montgomery County has in previous years contracted with Gracehaven and reimbursed the ministry through Title IV-E foster-care related public funding.
When Gracehaven maintained that it would not relinquish its religious rights as an employer but would sign the contract “as is,” the county ceased working with Gracehaven.
“After the county’s contract denial, lower-level county employees have tried to refer 14 girls to Gracehaven, but the ministry is unable to accept those placements because county officials refuse to contract with Gracehaven,” ADF’s press release states.
Gracehaven is requesting in its lawsuit that the court declare the county’s action violates the First Amendment, order the county to enter a new contract with the ministry, and stop the county from denying or withholding the funding to Gracehaven due to its belief-based hiring practice.
“Gracehaven empowers young girls rescued from sex trafficking by helping them thrive with dignity in a renewed life. Our team of Christian employees is paramount to this work,” Gracehaven Director Scott Arnold said in the ADF press release. “As we help these girls work through their pain and trauma, and move toward living healthy, fulfilling lives, our ability to hire like-minded people of faith to carry out our mission is essential.”
