Direct Services to Support Victims of Human Trafficking in Cuyahoga County, Ohio

The goal of the FY 2019 Direct Services to Support Victims of Human Trafficking Program is to enhance the quality and quantity of services available to victims of human trafficking, as defined by the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) of 2000, as amended. Funding through this program supports direct services to victims of sex trafficking and labor trafficking, as well as for efforts to increase the capacity of communities to respond to human trafficking through the development of interagency partnerships, professional training, and public awareness activities over a three-year project period. This award made to
Cleveland Rape Crisis Center’s (CRCC) project will ensure that survivors of all forms of human trafficking have coordinated access to comprehensive services. The first objective to achieve this is to build organizational capacity to provide comprehensive services in-house and through community partnerships to victims of human trafficking by hiring a program director, case manager, and client services specialist, who will be the primary administrative and direct service providers for clients who have been trafficked. The second objective to achieve the project goal is to establish a Drop-In Center for survivors of human trafficking to provide a central location where they can acquire the resources to meet their basic needs and receive comprehensive education and training that will assist them in achieving self-sufficiency and independence. CRCC proposes a trauma-informed, victim-centered approach to shoring up the region’s continuum of care for victims of human trafficking. CRCC will provide an array of 24-hour and daytime services that will engage this population through targeted top-down and grassroots outreach. This project will support victims through their healing from trauma, while providing case management, crisis support, critical job and life skills coaching, and a multitude of other supportive services to ensure long-term stability. CA/NCF