Specialized Legal and Mental Health Services for Survivors of Trafficking Throughout Northern Virginia

The Specialized Services for Survivors of Trafficking in Northern Virginia Project will enhance the quality and quantity of specialized services available to assist victims of human trafficking throughout Northern Virginia. The partners—Tahirih Justice Center, Legal Services of Northern Virginia, and Northern Virginia Family Service—are victim service organizations with 209 years combined experience and demonstrated history of providing services for human trafficking survivors. Funds under Purpose Area 3: Specialized Services, with prioritization requested under both poverty and QOZ priorities, will sustain and enhance the partners' collaborative efforts to address gaps in services to assist all victims of severe forms of trafficking by delivering trauma-informed and culturally, linguistically, and developmentally appropriate mental health services, comprehensive legal services, and supportive case management services. Collaborative efforts will increase the community capacity to respond to human trafficking victims through the continuance and growth of interagency partnerships, professional trainings, and public awareness activities.

The proposed project will deliver the following specific coordinated, trauma-informed and culturally, linguistically, and developmentally appropriate specialized services: Advocacy and Legal Assistance, including Reunification; Client Coordination; Client Safety and Well-Being: Provision of Material Assistance; and Support Services (language access). Training and outreach events will be convened. The goal of this project is to address the legal and mental health needs of at least 75 unduplicated survivors per year over the three-year project period, with supplemental case management services for the clients who are in need of this service. Project objectives are that: A) at least 75 survivors per year receive mental health services, legal services, and/or supportive case management services; and B) the community is better able to respond to the needs of trafficking survivors as a result of at least twelve targeted trainings and/or community outreach presentations to increase survivor identification and knowledge of existing resources per year. The project target area is Northern Virginia, including the Counties of Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, Prince William; Cities of Alexandria, Falls Church, Leesburg, and Manassas; and the Towns of Herndon, Manassas Park, and Vienna, with limited services in Fredericksburg and Caroline, Culpeper, Essex, Fauquier, King & Queen, King George, King William, Lancaster, Madison, Northumberland, Orange, Rappahannock, Richmond, Spotsylvania, Stafford, and Westmoreland Counties. The target population includes: adult and youth; foreign-born and U.S. citizen; female, male, transgender and nonbinary; survivors of labor and/or sex trafficking in our region benefit from direct services; professionals and community members benefit from training and outreach.