Human Trafficking Grants Awarded for Rural Communities

Funding to help domestic victims of human trafficking was awarded to three organizations serving rural areas.

Announced by HHS’ Administration for Children and Families, the federal funding is under a new demonstration grant program to develop, expand and strengthen coordinated case management and comprehensive direct victim assistance for victims of human trafficking in the United States.

Economic risk factors for human trafficking in rural communities include higher rates of persistent poverty, effects of economic recession and rapidly changing industries.  Runaway and homeless youth, survivors of violence and abuse and Native Americans are among high-risk populations for human trafficking in rural areas.  The grantees will address some of the primary challenges to disrupting human trafficking in their communities, including accessibility, language, technology, isolation and trust barriers.

In January 2015, HHS’ Administration for Children and Families (ACF) highlighted boomtowns such as the Bakken Oil fields in North Dakota and Montana as examples of high areas of human trafficking impacting tribal communities.  Last year, ACF piloted targeted training for health care providers on human trafficking in five sites, including the Bakken area in North Dakota, to develop capacity of growing communities faced with the violent realities of human trafficking.

The grantees will assess and build community capacity to better identify and serve victims of trafficking, foster partnerships and collaborations, promote culturally-appropriate and trauma-informed services, and develop networks to expand access to services.  Awards were made to:

• Mountain Plain Youth Services (Bismarck, North Dakota)
  Two-year grant award of $542,768 to provide host home housing and support services for youth and adults aged 13-21 identified by service providers or law enforcement as at-risk for trafficking, persons that have been recovered from trafficking operations, or individuals that identify as trafficked. 
• Tumbleweed Runaway Program, Inc. (Billings, Montana)
  Two-year grant award of $600,000 to serve victims of human trafficking in south-central and eastern Montana by developing and strengthening a comprehensive victim-centered prevention and services model including case management and direct victim response services for domestic victims of human trafficking. 
• County of Multnomah (Portland, Oregon)
  Two-year grant award of $596,327 to enhance and expand Multnomah County’s comprehensive case management and 24-hour emergency response to human trafficking victims through building capacity to increase direct service, coordination, collaboration, partnership development and training.