Queens Community Justice Center: Queens HOPE (Heal, Overcome, Prosper, Empower)

The Queens Community Justice Center (Justice Center) is proposing to scale up its Queens HOPE (Heal, Overcome, Prosper, Empower) program. The goal of the Queens HOPE expansion will be to prevent and reduce victimization of girls who are vulnerable to sex and/or labor trafficking. To this end, the Justice Center will expand the Queens HOPE program, a mentoring-based program that uses the evidence-based My Life My Choice group curriculum, a prevention and early intervention model for girls and young women who are at risk of or are victims of trafficking, and enhance efforts to identify and provide comprehensive, trauma-informed, developmentally appropriate, survivor-informed, survivor-centered, and culturally responsive services to girls and young women who are at risk of or are victims of trafficking through trainings provided by Queens HOPE staff to court stakeholders, schools, and community-based organizations. Throughout the project period, a Social Worker and Mentor will work one-on-one and in group settings with 90 girls and young women, ages up to and including 25 years old, with or without justice involvement. Queens HOPE will receive referrals from the entire borough of Queens, with particular focus on engaging girls and young women from South Jamaica, where the Justice Center is located. Queens HOPE staff will also provide training/professional development and support to court stakeholders and community partners to build their capacity to identify and provide services to girls and young women who are at risk of, or are victims of, sex and/or labor trafficking. As part of Queens HOPE’s trauma-informed, culturally competent, and safety-centered approach to engagement, Queens HOPE will also partner with a provider to facilitate a mindfulness and somatic practice class to enhance the self-awareness, stress management, and decision-making capabilities of Queens HOPE participants. Additional partners will be advisory committee members, former participants of Queens HOPE who successfully completed the My Life My Choice group and are no longer receiving Queens 10 HOPE services. The advisory committee will work with Queens HOPE staff to develop these trainings and provide feedback on the Queens HOPE services.