5.11 House Project for Transitional Housing and Support Services for Victims of Human Trafficking

The goal of the FY 2020 Housing Assistance Grants for Victims of Human Trafficking Program is to support housing assistance for victims of all forms of human trafficking throughout the United States, as defined by the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) of 2000, as amended. Funding through this solicitation supports programs that provide 6 to 24 months of transitional housing with support services to victims of human trafficking who are in need of housing as a result of human trafficking. Funding will be provided over a three-year project period. Orangewood Foundation will open and operate much-needed transitional housing in Orange County, California, dedicated to transition-aged youth (TAY, ages 18-30) who have experienced sex trafficking. The program “Graduate House” will be open to all gender or non-binary survivors, with anticipated lengths of stay of 12-18 months. Orangewood will utilize a 4-bedroom, 2.5-bathroom home, owned by the Salvation Army and being donated for use in this program, to house four survivors at a time. This program will serve as the next step toward independent living for TAY survivors whom we anticipate will have already completed a service-intensive housing program, but still need additional support before being ready to move into their own permanent housing. The project will house and support 12 survivors over three years. The Graduate House will specifically be for TAY survivors who have already taken action to remove themselves from “the life” of trafficking and need a safe environment and extra support to develop skills, support systems, resources, and resilience to sustain that new behavior. The Graduate House will provide transitional housing plus trauma-informed and survivor-centered case management that assists residents in developing and practicing basic life skills, employing self-care techniques and coping strategies, creating safety plans, reducing substance use and other high-risk behaviors through harm reduction strategies, working through trauma and other challenges, connecting to community resources, engaging in educational and employment activities, and pursuing other self-identified life goals.