IRC San Diego Developing Capacity to Serve Human Trafficking Victims

The International Rescue Committee, Inc. in San Diego (IRC) will be awarded $350,000 of federal funding to implement Purpose Area 1: Developing Capacity to Serve Human Trafficking Victims. The primary goal of the IRC in San Diego’s Services for Victims of Human Trafficking project is to enhance the quality and quantity of services available in San Diego County to assist all victims of human trafficking in achieving their goals, which may include increased independence and self-sufficiency, and increased feelings of safety and well-being. Given the immense size of San Diego County, additional capacity is necessary to better meet the need and demand for victim services. Specifically, IRC’s project will fill two current gaps: a geographic gap and programmatic gap. IRC’s services will be centered in the Central and East Regions of the County, where IRC’s offices are both located in federally qualified opportunity zones and high-poverty areas. Discussions with current service providers, researchers, and law enforcement have highlighted the shortage of outreach to and services for victims of labor trafficking, and a general need for services that outpace service delivery capacity. This includes case management and employment/economic empowerment services. Thus IRC will fill a second local gap by primarily focusing on identifying and serving victims of labor trafficking. This funding will allow IRC to conduct an in-depth community needs assessment and community resource map, build internal capacity to deliver high quality case management and economic empowerment services to victims, and build capacity of other local service providers to identify and serve victims of all forms of human trafficking from the point of identification to self-sufficiency. The specific objectives of this project are: 1) Develop capacity to serve victims of trafficking. 2) Provide high-quality case management services to victims. 3) Collaborate with federal, state, and local law enforcement, local service providers, and community/faith-based organizations to ensure victims are identified and referred to appropriate services. 4) Collect data to evaluate activities and outcomes to ensure progress toward goals and objectives. To enhance victim identification, service delivery, quality of services, and victim outcomes, IRC will collaborate closely with other agencies such as service providers, law enforcement, members of the judiciary, and community and faith-based organizations to ensure trafficking victims are properly identified and referred for appropriate services. IRC will serve all identified victims regardless of citizenship, form of trafficking, gender, and age through a mix of in-house service delivery and referrals to partner organizations.