Increasing NMDC's Capacity to Serve Human Trafficking Victims in New Mexico

The goal of the FY 2020 Services for Victims of Human Trafficking Programs 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 is made to New Mexico Dream Center of Albuquerque and is funded under the Services for Victims of Human Trafficking solicitation which is designed to provide direct services to victims of human trafficking.

The New Mexico Dream Center (NMDC), a New Mexico agency providing human trafficking outreach and aftercare services, will expand and build capacity to meet the needs for the increased number of identified trafficking victims. New Mexico is in desperate need to build service capacity for both adult and minor victims and is asking for priority consideration as a high poverty area. NMDC will use OVC funding to provide education and awareness through outreach and events to both the general public and specific training for our community partners, advocacy for identified victims in custody, wrap around case management including assistance with public benefits and housing options, counseling services and build a web-based tool to assist with data collection and management. This will all be done in strategic collaboration with NM Office of the Attorney General and The Life Link, the current OVC Enhanced Collaborative Model to Combat Human Trafficking funding grantees. CA/NCF