Advocacy for AI/AN Sex Trafficking Victims

The Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2019 created a 5% set-aside to improve crime victim services in Indian country in the Crime Victims Fund receipts that the Office for Victims of Crime used to make grant awards in Fiscal Year 2019. Project Beacon: Increasing Services to Urban American Indian and Alaska Native Victims of Sex Trafficking (Project Beacon) furthers the goals of the set-aside funding by increasing the quantity and quality of holistic, victim-centered services available to assist American Indian and Alaska Native victims of sex trafficking in urban areas. By bridging the divide between American Indian and Alaska Native victims of sex trafficking and nonprofit, nongovernmental programs that serve American Indians and Alaska Natives, Project Beacon aims to provide these victims with access to services that meet their cultural, linguistic, and spiritual needs.

The Nebraska Urban Indian Health Coalition (NUIHC) is a 501(c)(3) healthcare organization that serves American Indians and Alaska Natives who reside in Omaha and Lincoln, Nebraska, and Sioux City and Council Bluffs, Iowa. Founded in 1986, NUIHC currently operates a licensed and accredited primary healthcare clinic, inpatient substance abuse program, and community health programs designed to prevent substance abuse and suicide, and a meal and socialization program for elders.

NUIHC will use the funding from this award to: (1) hire a 1.0 FTE Victim Advocate, a 50 FTE Project Coordinator, a .05 FTE Project Director, a .10 FTE CFO, and a .10 FTE HR/Finance Clerk to staff the project; (2) develop a plan to deliver comprehensive services to meet the needs of American Indian and Alaska Native victims of sex trafficking; (3) execute memoranda of understanding with key collaborative partners in order to create a seamless referral network for victims of sex trafficking; (4) conduct community education and outreach activities to increase the community’s awareness of how sex trafficking impacts American Indian and Alaska Native victims; and (5) provide training to a multidisciplinary audience of professionals who are responsible for responding to incidents of sex trafficking in order to promote a culturally appropriate, victim-centered response to Native victims of sex trafficking.

CA/NCF