Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein filed a nuisance lawsuit against Sanctuary Night, a Franklinton non-profit that aids women escaping sex trafficking and drug abuse.
The organization has been open for three years. During that time, Columbus police have received more than 230 calls reporting open drug use, apparent sex work and property crime. Neighbors have also reported fires, people using the facility鈥檚 outdoor spigot to bathe and public urination and defecation.
The complaint, filed on April 30, also alleges that Sanctuary Night staff would let clients 鈥渄o whatever they want鈥� while inside the facility. The suit details information a staff member allegedly told to a CPD officer, where they said that the non-profit prefers that clients use drugs at the facility rather than other places where medical support is less available. This practice is known as supervised use and is illegal in both Columbus and the state of Ohio.
The Columbus Division of Fire has also responded to 40 suspected overdoses at the property.
The city attorney鈥檚 office said they sent Sanctuary Night a demand letter in February, notifying the non-profit of 鈥渢heir duty to mitigate nuisance activity鈥� and told them to file an order with the court outlining a plan of action. If Sanctuary Night was unable to do this, the organization faced a lawsuit from the city.
鈥淲e were engaged in conversations for several months,鈥� Klein said. 鈥淲e started that conversation with them over the past several months and several weeks, and then I would say in the past two or less weeks conversations became more infrequent to where they essentially became nonexistent.鈥�
鈥淭hat's when we had no choice but to file a lawsuit,鈥� he said.
However, Klein also said that his goal is not to shut down the non-profit.
鈥淢y goal in any nuisance abatement lawsuit isn't to start with a shutdown or to remove the services from the community. That's the last thing I want,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hat I would like is for them to operate in a safe, secure and sanitary way while also serving their mission.鈥�
Sanctuary Night released a statement calling the lawsuit 鈥渁n unnecessary escalation that will negatively impact a vulnerable community of women in central Ohio.鈥� The non-profit has taken steps to make the facility more secure, such as limiting the amount of people in the facility at one time, increasing lighting and hiring private security.