An Ohio county has been sued for allegedly refusing to renew a contract with a Christian charity that helps trafficked youth.
Gracehaven filed a lawsuit in December against Montgomery County officials in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, Western Division, over the county’s refusal to renew the organization’s contract because of its policy of only hiring Christians.
A hearing for a preliminary injunction against the contract cancelation is scheduled for Feb. 28.
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According to the complaint, the Montgomery County Department of Job and Family Services began contracting with Gracehaven in 2017 to help place girls who were victims of sex-trafficking in three state-licensed therapeutic group homes.
The substitute care contract is scheduled to renew every two years, with Montgomery County reimbursing Gracehaven with Title IV-E foster care maintenance payment funds from the federal government.
However, last year, county officials opted not to renew the contract with the Christian charity, reportedly due to federal law prohibiting employment discrimination on the basis of religion.
Alliance Defending Freedom Legal Counsel Jacob Reed, who is helping to represent Gracehaven, told The Christian Post on Thursday that the legal nonprofit “will always stand up for religious organizations’ right to hire people who share their faith.”
“The government can’t punish a Christian ministry like Gracehaven for exercising that right,” said Reed. “The First Amendment protects Gracehaven’s right to hire those who share its religious beliefs. Federal and state laws also recognize this right.”
“Montgomery County cannot punish Gracehaven by excluding it from the foster care system because the ministry exercises its constitutional rights. The ministry should not have to fight legal battles to ensure it is treated equally by the government.”
Montgomery County spokesman Kevin Lavoie told CP that county officials “cannot comment due to pending litigation,” but they “remain committed to transparency and will provide updates when appropriate.”
Founded in 2008, according to its website, Gracehaven seeks to serve “youth and families through a team of Christian workers and like-minded partners by providing sex trafficking prevention services and by empowering youth rescued from sex-trafficking to thrive with dignity in a renewed life.”
Much litigation has surfaced in recent years centered on whether the government can contract with Christian groups that refuse to hire individuals who do not share their religious and moral beliefs.
